FRANCE3 EZMJAMl.N JOH.NSTOh4 
G29 LEXINGTOr: AVENtfk 
NIZW YOnK 




Vincent Brooks, Day k Son. Lith. 



Sweet - Scented Flowers 



and Fragrant Leaves 

INTERESTING ASSOCIATIONS GATHERED FROM ^lANY 
SOURCES, WITH NOTES ON THEIR HISTORY AND UTILITY 

BY 

DONALD MCDONALD 

ASSOCIATE OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, AUTHOR 
OF 'the CULTIVATION OF ENGLISH VEGETABLES 
AND FLOWERS IN INDIA,' ' !MY AFRICAN GARDEN' 
'ancient and .modern EASTERN GARDENS' 
'HANDBOOK OF GARDENING,' ETC. 



WITH INTRODUCTION BY 

^V. ROBINSON 

EDITOR OF ' THE GARDEN,' AND AUTHOR OF 
' THE ENGLISH FLOWER GARDEN ' 



SIXTEEN COLOURED PLATES 



Who that hath reason and his smell, 
Would not midst Rose and Jasmine dwell ; 
Encompass'd round with such delight, 
To ear, nose, touch, the taste and sight, 

COWLEY. 



CHARLES SCRIBXER'S SONS 
1895 



AUTHORS NOTE 

Where can I procure a list of scented plants ? Editorial 
Eeply. — 'IVe know of no icork on the subject.' This start- 
ling response in one of the gardening p)ap)ers, was the inspir- 
ing cause of the production of the present Manual. Such cm 
omission in Horticultural literature appeared so singular that I 
set about to ascertain the true facts, and inquiries prosecuted 
amongst the leading booksellers found me a tiny brochure pubUshed 
in 1843, under the title of Flora Odorata. Its contents seemed 
to be insufficient for the present time, and it was mainly on this 
account that I have gathered this fresh posy of interesting associa- 
tions amongst these — the sweetest of sweet odours — and I offer the 
bouquet to all true lovers of the fragrant incense of nature. 

It is becoming so greatly the fashion amongst professioncd intro- 
ducers of new plants to study size and shape of blossom to the 
total exclusion of the delightful attraction of fragrance, tvith which 
so many of the old-time floivers are permeated^ that I trust the 
Alphabetical List will be found of service for the purpose of 
selecting varieties that possess this favoured property. 

The work has been a pleasant study during a period of two 
years, and the means of introducing me to much botaniccd know- 
ledge. Its dimensions, however, are a convincing assurance that 
no attempt has been made to describe in detail or to convey scien- 
tific information. That much more might be written on a subject 
so fertile, I am well aivare ; and I will gladly receive suggestions 
or additions to make future issues as perfect as possible. 



vi 



AUTHORS NOTE 



Tlie illustrations ivere really an afterthought on the part of the 
eminent house that is introclucing the book to the pull ic. They 
have been prepared by a first-class firm of horticultural printers, 
and it is hoped icill prove an attraction^ 

Donald M^Donalt). 

Lee, Kent. 

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. 

Apart from the generosity of the Editor of The Garden, who has 
graced the opening pages with an Introduction, the writer is indebted 
to a host of friends, both at home and abroad, for many vakiable 
hints, and it is his privilege to mention Mr. J. H. Maiden, Botanist 
to the Government of New South Wales ; Mr. C. G. Zonch, of the 
New South Wales Government Survey ; Mr. G. L. Searight, of the 
Indian Government Survey; Mr. P. France, an enthusiastic Horti- 
culturist at Cape Town, South Africa ; the Rev. H. Honey wood 
Dombrain, of the National Rose Society, for a cliavming note on 
Sweet-Smelling Roses ; the Rev. David Williamson and Mr. C. J. 
Grahame for similar favours. 

He has also derived a deal of information from the follo^ving 
books and journals, to the proprietors of which he tenders his 
obligations : — 

Asa Gray's American Plants ; Balfour's Plants of the World ; Boiilger's 
The Uses of Plants; Brown's Flora of Africa; Bulletin of the 
Royal Gardens^ Kew ; Don's Gardener^s Dictionary ; Firminger's 
Indian Garden Manual; Friend's Flowers and FIov:er Lore; 
Lindley's Treasury of Botany ; Loudon's EncycJopadia of Plants ; 
Mueller's Australian Phmts; Mott's Flora Odorafa ; Piesse, On 
Olfactics ; Rhind's Vegefahle Kingdom; 'Kim.meVs, Plants used in 
Peifumery ; Robinson's Enrjlish Flower Garden ; Sawer's Odoro- 
graphia ; Smith's Domestic Botany ; Thornton's Temple of Hora ; 
Twamley's Romance of Nature ; The Garden ; Gardening Illus- 
trated ; GardjiiK r'-s Chronicle : Journal of Horticulture ; Gardener^s 
Magazine ; Gardening World; Amateur Gardening ; The Standard. 



CONTENTS 



PAGE 



AUTHOR'S NOTE, 




V 


INTRODUCTION, 




IX 


FLORA ODORATA- 


-HISTORICAL SKETCH, 


XV 


ALPHABETICAL LIST, .... 


1 


ILLUSTRATIONS 




Clove Carnation . 


. DianfJius caryoijliyUus, 


Frontispiece 


Almond 


. Amygdalus communis, 


at page 8 


Cyclamen . 


. Cyclamen pe'rsicum, 


16 


Cytisus 


. Cytisus racemosus, 


24 


Daphne 


. Daphne mezereum, 


32 


Heliotrope . 


. Heliotr opium Peruvianum, 


40 


Yellow Jessamine . 


. Jasminum revolutum, 


48 


Lily of the Valley 


. Convallarla majalis, 


56 


Lime 


. Tilia EuropcEa, 


„ 64 


Magnolia . 


. Magnolia grandijiora, 


72 


Mignonette 


. Reseda odorata, . 


80 


Poet's Narcissus . 


. Narcissus poeticus, 


„ 88 


BuNCH-rLO\YERED Narcissus Ncircissiis polyanthus, 


„ 96 


Tea Rose 


. Rosa Indica, 


,, 104 


Sweet Sultan 


. Centaurea moschatus, 


„ 112 


Syringa 


. Philadelphus coronarius, . 


„ 128 



We are tlie sweet flowers 

Born of sunny sliowers. 
Think, whene'er you see ns, what our beauty saith : 

Utterance, mute and bright, 

Of some unknown delight. 
We fill the air with pleasure by our simple breath. 

Leigh Hunt. 



INTRODUCTION 



T was a good. idea to gather together much 
about this delightful theme, happily as free 
as the clouds from man's power to spoil. 
And what a mystery as well as charm — wild 
Roses sweet as the breath of heaven, and as 
wild Rose of repulsive odour, all born of the earth-mother, 
and it may be springing from the same spot. Flowers sweet 
at night and scentless in the day ; flowers of evil odour at 
one hour and fragrant at another ; plants sweet in breath of 
blossom, but deadly in leaf and sap ; Lilies sweet as they are 
fair, and Lilies that must not be let into the house ; bushes 
in which all that is delightful in odour permeates to every 
March-daring bud, and so through all the lovely host. The 
Grant Aliens of the day, who tell us how the Dandelion 
sprung from the Primrose some millions of years ago, would 
explain all these things to us, or put long names to them, — 
what Sir Richard Owen used to call 'conjectural biology'; 
but we who love our flowers need not care where they leave 
the question, for to us is given this precious fragrance, 
happily almost without effort. 

Every fertile country has its fragrant flowers and trees ; 
alpine meadows Avith Orchids and mountain Violets ; the 
Primrose-scented woods ; Honeysuckle-wreathed and May- 
frosted hedgerows of Britain; the Cedars of India and of 




X 



FLORA ODORATA 



the mountains of Asia Minor, mth Lebanon ; trees of the 
same stately order, perhaps still more fragrant in the warmer 
Pacific breezes of the Eocky Mountains and Oregon, where 
the many great Pines spring from a carpet of fragrant ever- 
greens, and a thousand flowers which fade away after their 
bloom, and rest in the heat, while the trees overhead distil 
for ever grateful odour in the sunny air. Myrtle, Eosemary, 
and Lavender, and all the aromatic bushes and herbs clothing 
the little capes that jut into the great sea which washes the 
shores of Greece, Italy, Sicily, and Corsica j garden islands 
scattered through vast Pacific seas, as stars are scattered in 
the heavens ; enormous tropical forests, little known to man, 
and from which he gathers here and there the treasures for 
our orchid- and greenhouses ; great island conservatories like 
Java and Ceylon and Borneo, rich in spices and lovely plant 
life : Australian Bush, with traces of plant life as if from 
another world, but often most delicate in odour even in the 
fragments of them we see in our greenhouses. 

It is not only from the fragile flower-vases these sweet 
odours flow; they breathe through leaf and stem, and the 
whole being of many trees and bushes, from the stately 
Gum trees of Australia to the sweet Verbena of Chili. Many 
must have felt the charm of the strange scent of the Box- 
bush l)efore Oliver AVenclell Holmes told us of its ' breathing 
the fragrance of eternity, for this is one of the odours which 
carry us out of time into the abysses of the unbeginning 
past.' The scent of flowers is often cloying, as of the 
Tuberose, while that of leaves is often delightful and refresh- 
ing, as in the green budding Larch, and in the leaves of Balm 
and Eosemary, while in many cases fragrance is stored in the 
wood and permeates down through the roots. 

To but few it is given to see many of these sweet plants 



INTRODUCTION 



xi 



in their native lands, but we who love our gardens may 
enjoy many of them about us, not merely in drawings or 
descriptions, but the living, breathing things themselves. 
The Geraniums in the cottage window bring us the spicy 
fragrance of the South African hills ; the Lavender bush of 
the sunny hills of Provence, where it is at home ; the 
Eoses in the o-arden brino* near us the breath of the wild 
Eoses on a thousand hills ; the aromatic pot-herbs of our 
gardens are a gift of the shore-lands of France and Italy and 
Greece, The Sweet Bay bush in the farmer's or cottage 
garden comes with its story from the streams of Greece, 
where it seeks moisture in a thirsty land along with the wild 
Olive and the Arbutus. And this Sweet Bay is the Laurel 
of the poets, of the first and gTeatest of all poet and artist 
nations of the earth — the Laurel sacred to Apollo, and 
used in many ways in his worship, as we may see on coins, 
and in many other things that remain to us of the great 
civilisations of the past.^ The Myrtle, of less fame, was 
also a sacred plant beloved for its leaves and blossoms, was, 
like the Laurel, seen near the temples of the race who 
built their temples as Lilies are built, whose song is deathless, 
and the fragments of its art Despair to the artist of our 
time. And so we see how the frao-rant bushes our o'arclens 
may entwine for us, apart from their gift of fragrance, living- 
associations and beautiful thoughts for ever famous in human 
story. 

It is not only these trees and climbers, loved by all for 
their odour, we have to think of, but many delicate ones, 

^ ^ What you call advantageous, Solon, is for these men to be 
crowned in view of all the world, who just before were objects of j^ity 
from their wounds : and yet it seems they think themselves happy if 
in return for all their labours they can get a bunch of Laurel." — From 
the, Greek of Lucian. 



xii 



FLORA ODORATA 



little thought of, perhaps, from the blossoms that give it 
being without showy colour, as the fragrant American wild 
Vine. And among these modest flowers there are none more 
delicate than the blossoms of the White Willow of Britain 
and northern Europe, all the more grateful in air coming 
to us. 

' O'er the northern moorland, o'er the northern foam.' 

What is the lesson these sweet flowers have for us ? They 
tell us — if there were no other flowers to tell us — that a 
garden should be a living thing; its life not only fair in 
form and lovely in colour, but in its breath and essence 
coming from the Divine. They tell us that the very com- 
mon attempt to conform these fair lives into tile or other 
patterns, to clip or set them out as so much mere colour 
of the paper-stainer or carpet-maker, is to degrade them, and 
make our gardens ugly and ridiculous, from the point of 
view of nature or true art. And many of these treasures for 
the open garden have been shut out of our thoughts o^ving 
to exclusion of almost everything that did not make showy 
colour and lend itself to carpet or other crude modes of 
setting flowers to compete with tiles and like modes of 
* decoration.' 

Of the many considerations that should occur in the 
making of a beautiful garden to live in, this of fragrant 
plants and flowers is one of the first. And happily among 
every class of flowers which adorn our open-air gardens, 
there are odorous things to be found. Apart from the 
groups of plants in which all, or nearly all, are sweet, as 
in Eoses and Violets, the annual and biennial flowers of 
our gardens, are rich in fragrance. Stocks, Mignonette, 
Sweet Peas, Sweet Sultan and Wallflowers, Double Eockets, 



IXTRODUCTION 



xiii 



Sweet Scabious, and many others, the odours of which are 
not always so popular. These, among the most easily raised 
of plants, are enjoyed by the simplest cottage gardeners. 

The garden borders bear for us odours as precious as 
any breath of tropic Orchid : from the Lily of the Valley 
to the Carnation — this last being perhaps the most grateful 
odour of all the flowering host in our garden land. Among 
these borders one meets with things sweeter than words may 
tell of — Woodruff, Balm, Pinks, Violets, garden Primroses, 
Polyanthus, day and other Lilies, early L^is, Xarcissus, 
evening Primroses, Mezereon Bush, AVallflower and Pansies, 
delicate in their sweetness. 

Xo one may be richer in delicate fragrance than the wise 
man who plants hardy shrubs and flowering trees — Mag- 
nolia, Thorn, Daphne, Lilac — names each telling of whole 
families of delightful things. Among shrubs, those without 
any very strong odour, like the hardy Heaths, are all the 
more pleasant to many whose memories are often touched 
by remembered fragrance of some plant they do not always 
know. From the same regions where we found the Laurel 
and the Myrtle we have the Laurustinus, beautiful in all 
our sea-coast and milder districts, and many other lovely 
things happy in our climate : one, the "Winter Sweet, even 
pouring out delicious fragrance in mid-winter : Sweet G-ale, 
that grows in any boggy place. Azalea, Allspice, and the 
delightful little Mayflower that creeps about in the wood- 
land shades in Xorth America. So, though we cannot boast 
of Lemon or Orange groves, our climate is kind to many 
lovely and fragrant shrubs. 

Even our ugly walls may be sweet gardens with Magnolia, 
Honeysuckle, Clematis, Sweet Verbena, and the delightful 
old Jasmine, still clothing many a house in London. Most 



XIV 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



precious of all, however, are the noble climbing Tea Eoses 
raised in our own time, mostly in France within the past 
forty years or so. Among the abortions of this century 
these are a real gain — the loveliest flowers ever raised by 
man. Xoble in form and colour, and scented as delicately 
as a June morn in alpine pastures, with these most precious 
of garden roses we could cover all the ugly walls in Eng- 
land and Ireland, and Heaven knows there are many in want 
of a veil. 

The old Kent and Sussex way of having an orchard near 
the house was a good one. Planted for use, it was as precious 
for its beauty, and not only when the spring ^wnds carry 
the breath of its myriad blossoms of Cherry, Plum, Apple, 
or Pear. AVe have the fruit odours too, and the faint scent 
of Strawberries, and later their leaves, and the CiUTant leaves. 
It would be, in many places, charming to plant a pretty 
orchard and have the fruit-garden near or alongside — keep- 
ing the less pleasant evidence of vegetables in the background. 
These beautiful orchards, too, are where the early Daffodils 
and Snowdrops appear. Then, with Violets and Primroses 
on the banks they may be delightfully sheltered from the 
north and east by a grove of our native evergreens — Holly 
and Yew — these, in their turn, wreathed here and there 
with the fragrant autumn Clematis, Honeysuckles, and 
Climbing Wild Eoses. Of all the things for garden pictures 
there are none so good as the lovely groups of hardy trees 
forming our hardy fruits, including the Medlar and Quince, 
while near might be the Japanese and other handsome Crabs, 
which have so much beauty of bloom and also brilliant fruit 
in autumn. 



FLORA ODORATA 



MOXG the many enjoyments this fascinating 
world affords, none are more innocent or 
enticing than close association with the 
beautiful gems that so happily grace our 
gardens, where a balmy atmosphere laden 
with sweet perfumes and aromatic fragrance, rich and em- 
bowering foliage, with rural seclusion, are ever perfect ideas 
of earthly felicity — 

' In the calm retreat, 
Far from the busy haunts of life, 
Where Flora trains her lovely offspring up 
To captivate and charm.' 

In all countries, civilised and savage, in the religious festivals 
of all creeds, and on all occasions whether of grief or rejoic- 
ing, the scented attractions of flowers and plants possess an 
important significance, and Nature seems to have been most 
bountiful in her munificence in scattering these odoriferous 
treasures throughout our world, to give cheerfulness to the 
earth and happiness to its inhabitants. Every rank of people 
seem equally to appreciate them as a gratification to the 
organs of sight and smell. 

The refreshing odours prevalent in a garden, where the richest 
perfumes shed their aromatic perfections la^dshly around, are 
the spoils from Nature's laboratory, that dispense delicious 
medicines to sweeten our existence. 

XV 




xvi 



FLORA ODOR ATA 



There are many common flowers to be found growing in 

our meadows which diffuse a gentle fragrance most gratifying 

to the senses : and, much as we are concerned with the odour 

of those flowers and shrubs which are to be met with in our 

gardens and gTcenhouses, the wild forms are a source of the 

keenest pleasure to all. It is a lamentable fact, as the poet 

Gray says that : 

* Full many a flower is born to blush unseen, 
And waste its sweetness on the desert air. ' 

And why should they be scattered where there are none to 
enjoy them ? After all, some of these simple flowers are the 
most pleasing; they are closely associated with memories 
of the past, and furnish a distinctness of reality peculiar to 
the rich, cool, green, unrivalled meads of Britain. Beyond 
this, too, many have come gradually to appreciate the simple 
flowers most, and it is a relief, even in the homes of the 
wealthy, to return to solne of the sweet simplicities of Nature, 
and nothing aff"ords this refreshing change so agreeably as 
a few well-chosen common flowers. We cannot, indeed, 
dispense with the glorious Eose, the fragrant Stephanotis 
and exquisite Gardenia, the strangely-formed and gorgeously- 
tinted Orchids, or all the more elaborate floral compositions ; 
but they can be supplemented by scores, nay hundreds, of 
others possessing, perhaps, a quieter and less obtrusive beauty, 
but not less pleasing on that account. There has, in fact, 
been somewhat of a revolution of late years in this as in 
other matters relating to taste, such as frequently follows a 
great elaboration of art, and it is pleasant to observe this 
return to simpler methods. 

As national emblems, as gifts in the language of friendship 
and love, they gleam in original hues and odours ; they are 
even frequently hallowed by associations far sweeter than 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xvii 



their perfume. Perhaps this is because they are the only 
things which affect our senses precisely as they did in our 
childhood. The sweetness of the Violet is always the same ; 
and when you pluck a Eose and drink, as it were, its fragrance, 
the refreshment is the same to the aged as to the young, 

' The red Rose is the red Rose still, and from the Lily's cup 
An odour fragrant as at first, like frankincense, goes up.' 

— Mary Howitt. 

Lord Bacon, in his excellent essay ' On Gardens,' advised 
that one portion be devoted to a kind of 'Natural Wildness,' 
in which there should be ' thickets made only of Sweetbrier 
and Honeysuckle, carpeted with Primroses, Violets, and AVild 
Thyme, ^Wth some Pinks to make all sweet and sightly, and 
with time found to enjoy their attractions to the full. It is 
in such a way that a garden of fragrant flowers might be 
formed, and we have many more at our service now than were 
obtainable in Lord Bacon's time, for who is there among us 
to-day, when they have the good fortune to escape on a 
summer holiday from the crowded city, and find them- 
selves in the heart of a delicious garden, has not a secret 
conscience within them that the scene affords a glimpse of 
a true paradise below, for there is found the most congenial 
relaxation, the most restorative exercise, ever at hand. The 
lover of bright hues, delicate and spicy aromas, there walks 
in a fairyland of his own creation. The merchant, the " poli- 
tician, the artisan all dream of the happiness of some future 
day when they can find their palace or cottage of delight 
in a garden, amidst bowering trees and fragrant flowers, 
where the breeze blows softly, charged with fragrance, and 
the dews fall to refresh and awaken sleeping odours. 

Poets from the earliest times have cherished a deep regard, 
in their allusions to scented flowers, and to the beauties with 

h 



xviii 



FLORA ODORATA 



which Xatm^e has adorned them, and these sweet attributes 
are incomparably the most precious mth which it is our 
fortune to be favoured. 

* Soft roll your incense, herbs and flowers, 
In mingled clouds to Him whose sun exalts, 
Whose breath perfumes you and whose pencil paints/' 

— THOMSON. 

The great botanist Linna?us grouped the odours of flowers 
and plants into seven classes, three of which only were 
pleasant : to these he signified the titles of the aromatic, the 
fragrant, and the ambrosial. All plants, whether in their 
foliage or blossom, exhale an odour more or less perceptible, 
more or less agreeable ; some flowers possess such a powerful 
aroma as to influence the state of the atmosphere over large 
areas. The hundreds of scented acres in the South of France 
permeate with their sweet odours the balmy breezes wafted 
from the shores of the Mediterranean Sea for many miles : 
the same effects are perceptible off the Spanish Coast, where 
large quantities of Eosemary are grown, and so it is with 
many daintily scented trees that flourish in the AVest Indian 
Islands; who, too, in oiu own country has not felt the influ- 
ence of the fragrance lavishly dispensed by a field of Beans 
in bloom, a Heather-clad hill, or a Furzy down, where all 
the little hillocks are purple with the flowers of the wild 
Thyme, which exhales its rich aromatic odour when pressed 
with the foot, an avenue of Limes on a showery summer 
evening, or a country lane in May, when the Hawthorn is 
covered with snowy blossoms ? 

Again, our senses are daily gratified by the sweet perfumes 
exhaled by the leaves and flowers that surround us, and art 
exhausts its skill to preserve them by means which enable 
us always to have them present for use. The state of the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xix 



atmosphere is an important factor bearing upon the intensity 
of floral odoiu"s. In the hot dry weather of summer many 
flowers lose a large share of their usual fragrance, and in 
walking through a Trilderness of sweet-smelling plants we 
find little trace of their odour, but if a heavy shower follow, 
the air soon becomes impregnated with a bouquet of delicate 
balsamic essences, clearly demonstrating what an important 
bearing the addition of moisture to the air has upon the 
odoriferous organs of plants. 

Some flowers emit their strongest perfume at early da^^ii, 
and are C[uite scentless dm^ing the day, others breathe their 
sweetness during the evening, or on the dews of the night. 
These were daintily designated by Linnaeus the Flore frisfes^ 
or melancholy flowers, because they are generally of a dull 
and dismal coloin^, and seemingly require the brightness of 
daylight to impart to their petals the brilliancy of which they 
are void ; these are the flowers 

^ That keep 
Their odours to themselves all day, 
But when the sunlight dies away, 
Let the delicious fragrance out 
To every breeze that roams about.' — Friend. 

Or as a tasteful American poetess puts it : — 

* All night incense's sweetest fragrance 
Rises from those perfumed bowers, 
Through the moonlight's silver radiance 

From the yellow Jasmine flowers.' — Mutrhead. 

Every plant has its special insect ^asitants, which are 
necessary to its economy, and without whose aid its seeds 
would either remain unfruitful, or would be fructified in 
an inferior manner. Hence the plants suited to these night- 
fliers are endowed with the singular property of giving out 



XX 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



their guiding scent by night, and with the remarkable faculty 
of reserving the same by day, when it is not needed. 

Other flowers lose their fragrance as soon as gathered, a 
fact of which one is quickly satisfied in collecting a nose- 
gay of bloom from the meadows and hedgerows, which only 
breathe their faint summer sweetness when fresh ; others 
again preserve it even when they are withered. Both the 
Eose and the Violet emit their lovely odours when faded, but 
it is inferior in strength and sweetness to the newly gathered 
flower ; leaves invariably retain their smell under most con- 
ditions, yet they seem to throw off their strongest favours 
when full of life, in the soft dewy air. 

The most common instance of the sweet smell of dried 
plants is afforded by the hay-field. When the mower has cut 
the grass, and the summer sun has dried out its juices, then 
we perceive that odour which renders the situation peculiarly 
delightful. This fragrance is produced from a number of 
varieties of grasses and clovers which assist in composing the 
hay, and to render it acceptable as savoury food for animals. 

' The fields put forth a thousand modest flowers, 
Composed of glossy leaves and fragrant bloom, 
Filling the air 'midst dainty summer showers 
With a rich spicy odour and perfume.' — Rose. 

Or as an unknown writer so happily expresses his feelings : — 

* Blooming in sunshine and glowing in showei's, 
Dancing in breezes — we gay young flowers, 
We close our petals, nor winking peep 
'Till the morning breaks our perfumed sleep.' 

Lord Bacon has said * the breath of flowers is far sweeter 
upon the air, where it comes and goes like the warbling of 
music, than in the hand, therefore nothing is more fit for that 
delight than to know something of the flowers that do best 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxi 



perfume the air.' The monthly Eose, which blooms above 
and around the cottage door, adds a simple charm to the 
place. It can easily be imagined how great an influence for 
good its sweetness must have upon those who daily inhale 
its odours. 

There are many classical fables, legends, and anecdotes to 
illustrate the attraction of odoriferous plants, and as they add 
something to the peculiar interest mth which these tasty 
products of Nature have been cherished from time imme- 
morial, we shall endeavour to refer to many of these charming 
flower passages, as they are certain to materially assist in 
enlightening the mind in association with that elegant image 
of appreciated beauty, a sweet-scented flower. 

It is asserted by the best of authorities that the seat of the 
earthly Paradise, known to us as the ' Garden of Eden,' was 
situate in a district of the country called Mesopotamia by the 
ancients, watered by two mighty rivers, the Tigris and the 
Euphrates, and of its beauty the great describer of our ^ Lost 
Paradise ' did not disdain to speak of Eve's nuptial bower in 
the following praise : — 

' It was a place 
Chosen by the sovereign Planter, when he framed 
All things to man's delightful use. . . . 
Laurel and Myrtle ... of fragrant leaf, on either side 
Acanthus, and each odorous bushy shrub. 
Fenced up the verdant wall ; each beauteous flower, 
It is all hues, Roses, and Jessamine 

Reared high their flourished heads between, and wrought 
Mosaic ; underfoot the Violet, 
Crocus, and Hyacinth.' 

and then he adds — 

* Out of the fertile ground God caused to grow 
All trees of noblest kind for sight, smell, taste.' — Milton. 

After the fall of man we have little record of the uses 



xxii 



FLORA ODORATA 



of scented flowers for several centuries ; pioneers of explora- 
tion and other ardent investigators have, however, rescued 
many valuable treasures from the depths of the burning 
sands that rolled over those ancient wonders of the universe, 
and their findings have given some curious and valuable in- 
formation, for do we not frequently see in the scenes depicted 
upon these tablets in many instances the representation of a 
worshipper lifting towards him a fragrant flower. 

The fondness of Eastern nations for scented flowers, odours, 
and perfumes, has from the remotest antiquity been carried to 
extravagant excess, and in the midst of their wars and diffi- 
culties their chief pleasure has always been to associate them- 
selves with the hues and fragrance of the lovely blossoms that 
so happily grace the surface of the earth in this part of the 
world. 

' Know ye the land of the Cedar and Vine, 
Whose scented flowers blossom and beanas enshrine ; 
Where the light wings of Zephyr, oppressed with perfume, 
Wax faint o'er the gardens of beautiful bloom 

'Tis the clime of the East ! 'tis the land of the Sun.' — Byrox. 

The oldest gardens of the East appear to have been chiefly 
used as resorts of repose, indolent recreation, or luxurious 
indulgence. Scented flowers, and the shade of perfumed 
trees were considered one of the indispensable enjoyments of 
the higher classes of society; even the greatest rulers and 
warriors did not hesitate to crown themselves with tasty 
floral adornments during their principal repasts, where 
thousands of guests would be invited, and all anointed with 
the sweet essences of Saffron, Cinnamon, Spikenard, Fenu- 
greek and Lilies. 

At the time the early dwellers of the fertile districts 
bordering the eastern side of the Mediterranean were at the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxiii 



height of their glory, the art of gardening was carried to 
great perfection, and a typical garden of these times must 
have, first of all, been directed to the furnishing of important 
necessaries of life ; the growing of cooling fruits, fragrant 
flowers, and aromatic herbs ; and ultimately, to an assort- 
ment of such plants of utility would be added the objects 
of luxury and ornament. Amongst the flowers would be 
found the Rose, Myrtle, Narcissus, Jonquil, Cyclamen, and 
Iris. The Hanging Gardens of Babylon laid out originally 
by Nebuchadnezzar to please his wife Amytes, daughter of 
the King of the Medes, have been represented as uniquely 
romantic in point of situation, rich in scented plants, and one 
of the wonders of their day on account of the difficulties 
surmounted in their construction, great extent, and diversity 
of uses and products. According to Dr. Falconer — 

* These magnificent gardens covered a space of four acres ; 
they were made to rise in terraces one above the other in the 
form of steps, each supported by stone pillars of a height of 
more than 300 feet, gradually diminishing upwards until the 
area of the superior surface was reduced to an infinitesimal 
compass. Each terrace was carefully planted with attractive 
flowers and fragrant trees, so that at a distance the garden 
appeared as a great pyramid covered with luxuriant growth 
from which the most elegant perfumes were wafted about. 
Water was supplied from the Euphrates for the fountains and 
reservoirs, for cooling the air and feeding the plants and trees. 
The poets even have not forgotten to celebrate its wonders : — 

" Within its walls was raised a lofty mound 
Where flowers and aromatic shrubs adorned 
The pensile garden. . . . 

Where sloping vales, and odorous plants entwine 
Their undulating branches." 

To the scene of all this splendour of Eastern luxury, inter- 



xxiv 



FLORA ODORATA 



spersed with the sim|)le pleasm^es of verdant and beautiful 
Nature, the chiefs and rulers would resort, " to breathe the 
balmy air, shaded from a blazing sun, to inhale the odours of 
flowers, to listen to the warbling of birds, or to observe the 
minute beauties of foliage," when worn out with the fatigues 
of their high position. The favourite resort of the Queen 
was the bowers where bloomed the Rose and Lily, vying with 
each other in beauty and fragrance. 

" And the Jessainine faint, and pure Tuberose, 
The sweetest flower for scent that blows ; 
And all rare blossoms from ever}^ clime 
Made this garden the essence of love sublime I " ' 

The Koran describes Paradise as teeming with beautiful 
nymphs created out of pure Musk, and so fond were 
Mahomet's followers of this dainty odour that the mortar for 
building their temples is said to have been partly mixed with 
its essence, and for many years the walls continued to give off 
a most powerful scent, especially when the sun shone out its 
brightest upon them. 

Asia Minor with Palestine were, at one time, regions 
bedecked with glorious associations, and teeming with plants 
bearing scented attractions ; but throughout the mysterious 
ages which succeeded, and under the authority of mis- 
guided rulers, these once beautiful territories have lapsed 
into a deplorable state of neglect, as far as the culture of 
flowers and plants is concerned. 

It may be interesting to observe what some early vTiters 
have to say on the subject in these parts : — 

' The gardens that surround the city of Damascus,' observes 
Buckingham, ^ glow with dazzling beauty, being well watered 
with copious streams from Mount Lebanon — thickly planted 
with Roses, Oranges, Lemons, all cultivated and irrigated 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



XXV 



with great care. The charming grounds form a delightful 
retreat in the cool of the evening — for recreation, and listen- 
ing to the warblings of the nightingale, and to breathe an air 
impregnated with the odour of flowers.' 
Bramsen tells us that — 

' Antioch possesses an extensively wooded garden, abundant 
with beautiful trees, and the environs of Jaffa are adorned 
with many fine gardens which produce quantities of sweet- 
smelling flowers, iruits and vegetables.' 

In our own time Arabia appears for the most part a dry, 
barren, and thirsty desert, intersected here and there by an 
oasis or upland district, upon which a settlement is found, 
where some rude course of cultivation is followed. In early 
days many kinds of scented and aromatic plants were largely 
grown for use at all great festivals, and, according to Hero- 
dotus, Arabia alone had to furnish a yearly tribute of one 
thousand talents of frankincense to the temples in Babylon. 

The luxurious and refined habits of the Assyrians naturally 
involved the use of perfumed plants and flowers, and to such 
an excess was this passion carried, that their last king, when 
driven to extremity by the rapid advance of his conqueror, 
chose a death worthy of an Eastern voluptuary by causing a 
pile of fragrant herbs to be lighted, and placing himself with 
his wives and treasures upon it all were sweetly suffocated 
with aromatic smoke. 

From the very earliest records of Egyptian history, per- 
fumes have played a conspicuous part in all the great festivals, 
entertainments, and funeral rites ; it was, however, in their 
grand religious processions that they made the most luxurious 
display of fragrant incenses, sweet-scented herbs, and flowers. 

To the children of Noah the uses of odorous vapours must 
thus have been quite familiar, and we need not wonder that we 



XXVI 



FLORA ODORATA 



find modern Egypt has preserved many of the customs of its 
former inhabitants, and to this day the washing of the body 
of the dead with rose water, and rubbing it with fragrant oil 
is observed by the upper classes ; even among the Arabs we 
find the same mode of life that was adopted by the patriarchs 
of old, in the distribution and uses of sweet flowers and 
aromatic fumigations. 

The Greeks ascribed a divine origin to perfumes, and in 
the sacrifices offered to their deities the victim was literally 
covered with garlands of scented flowers, herbs and sweet- 
smelling, vapours. The Myrtle especially seems to have been 
largely employed with their wines and love-potions, under 
the belief that the leaves of this dainty plant prevented all 
intoxicating powers when dipped in the liquor, the branches 
were also laid upon graves to keep away evil spirits, the Bay 
leaf was chewed by their priests in the belief that thej^ com- 
municated the spirit of prophecy ; it was also placed under 
their pillows to induce perfect rest, besides being held in 
much esteem by the physicians as a panacea for all com- 
plaints. When the people crowded into Rome, during the 
time of the Italian plague, they were all recommended to go 
to Laurentium (now San Lorenzo) because the sweet Bay 
there grew in great abundance, and the inhalation of air 
impregnated with its odours was a sure preventive against 
infection. The strong-scented Feverfew bore the tradition of 
fine dispelling powers, and there seems some amount of 
reason that these old ideas are based on scientific truth, as it 
is now ascertained that the quantity of ozone is materially 
increased by an exposure to the rays of the sun of various 
plants, among which we name Lavender, Musk, Cherry, 
Laurel, Clove, Fennel, Narcissus, Heliotrope, Hyacinth, 
Mignonette, Sunflower, and Eucalyptus. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxvii 



In their sacrificial offerings the victim was tastefully 
decked with garlands of fragrant flowers and burned with 
frankincense — calling forth those beautiful lines of the poet 
Hesiod : — 

' Let the rich fumes of od'rous incense fly 
A grateful savour to the powers on high.' 

From Juno's bath sprung an odorous mist which shed a re- 
freshing fragrance around, thus graphically described : — 

' Here first she bathes and round her body pours 
Soft oils of fragrance and ambrosial showers 
Perfumed with flowers whose exhalation greet 
The sense of gods with more than mortal sweet.' 

Scented flowers seem to have been to this tasteful people a 
sort of poetic language whereby they expressed the intensity 
of feeling to which they found common speech inadequate ; 
thus we find that their grief and their joy, their religion, 
their gratitude, admiration, and love, were alike expressed in 
flowers and savours. Theophrastus inscribed a work on their 
delicious attractions, in which he says, 'perfumes are made 
from Eoses, white Lilies, and Violets, some from stalks and 
some from roots.' Xenophanes thus pleasingly describes a 
Grecian entertainment : — 

' A willing youth presents to each in turn 
A sweet and costly perfume. Another pours out wine 
Of most delicious flavour, breathing round 
Fragrance of flowers, so grateful to the sense 
That none refuse.' 

Whilst every schoolboy who has been brought to task over 
his Homer knows how he describes Aurora with rose-tipped 
fingers filling the air with their perfume. 

The author of the travels of Anacharsis describes his visit 
to a friend thus : — ' Having crossed the courtyard, we came to 
the flower-garden, where we saw in succession Narcissus, 



xxviii 



FLORA ODORATA 



Hyacinths, Iris, Violets, and Roses of many kinds, and all 
sorts of odoriferous plants.' 

The Eomans of all ranks made use of scented flowers as 
ornaments and emblems, and the wild plants of the field were 
great favourites in their adornment; beyond these easily 
obtainable plants, however, they made no special cultivations 
of the floral world, so rich and fragrant in their favoured 
clime, yet they would spend fabulous sums in procuring 
flowers from distant parts. 

Some of the Eoman emperors would go to the extrava- 
gance of scattering their palaces dainty blooms ; indeed, 
it is said of the beautiful Queen Cleopatra, that when making 
a visit to Sicilia to meet Mark Anthony, she gave him a 
succession of floral festivals which displayed a royal magnifi- 
cence. Her Majesty even carried her sumptuousness so far 
as to pay a talent for a quantity of sweet-smelling Eoses with 
which she caused the floor of the palace to be covered to a 
depth of eighteen inches. But the greatest profusion of 
scented flowers mentioned in ancient history is that which 
Suetonius attributes to Nero. This author says that at one 
fete the expenses incurred for odoriferous flowers alone reached 
a figure which, according to present value, would mean a sum 
of £20,000, and on another occasion when an entertainment 
was given on the water the whole surface of Lake Lucina was 
covered with Eoses. It is reported of Seneca that he could 
not sleep if one of the floral petals, with which his bed was 
spread, happened to be curled. 

Agrippa bequeathed his garden and bath, both of which 
were fully stocked with Nature's sweet aromas, to the Eoman 
people for their perpetual enjoyment. 

Ovid was, as might be expected, a lover of beautiful bloom, 
and in his description of the goddess Flora he says that, 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



* while she was speaking she breathed forth sweet Eoses froia 
her mouth ' ; and in one of his dainty poems his fondness of 
flowers is well portrayed in the foUoT^^ing lines : — 

' Aiid rich was he whose votive wreath possessed 
The lovely Violet and sweet wild flower dressed.'' 

Persia has from the remotest ages enjoyed a great reputa- 
tion for its lovely flowers, and we have it on record by a very 
early ^vriter that — 

'AVhere the Persian King resides, or whatever place he 
visits in his dominions, he takes care that the gardens shall 
be filled ^vith everything, both beautiful and useful, that the 
soil can produce.' 

Sadi, whose poems are probably the most impressive ever 
penned in the Persian language, has left us the following 
dainty description of his garden : — 

' The ground was enamelled ^vith odorous flowers ; the 
dewdi^ops hung on the Eose like tears on the cheek of a 
maiden ; the parterre was covered with Hyacinths from 
whose delicate bells pour forth the most endearing essences.' 

Persian gardens are mostly peculiar in structiue, being 
arranged so that the owner could view them from some 
acclivity in absolute seclusion, and breathe the balmy air 
imparted from masses of delicately scented bloom. 

The flowers of Persia are both abundant and beautiful, and 
have in all ages been used largely by the monarchs and indi- 
^iduals of high rank at all the leading festivals. Their tastes 
in this direction are borrowed from the Mecles. The palaces 
of their kings were arranged so that the one was fitted for 
summer residence, the other for the winter, the latter place 
being celebrated for its beautiful flowers, of which the Lily 
was chief. Such was their fancy for j)erfume that they 



XXX 



FLORA ODOR ATA 



wore on their heads crowns made of Myrrh and sweet-smelling 
plants. 

From Xenophon's description of their gardens we learn 
that the walks were edged with Eoses, Violets, and other 
fragrant plants, and the ladies loved to be in an atmosphere 
redolent with fragrant odours. The soft air luxuriously 
charged with the odours of endless quantities of other choice 
flowers, and the long bowers of sweet Lime-trees gave to the 
whole surroundings the contentment of Paradise ; but some- 
thing was wanting, and that was the sympathetic love of the 
fair Eve, which most men yearn for, but few find : the most 
fortunate in time, the most unfortunate too late. The Poppy, 
Jasmine, Tulip, Anemone, Lily of the Valley, Eanunculus, 
Jonquil, Narcissus, Violet and Cineraria, give an air of ele- 
gance wherever their presence is found. 

A celebrated Persian poet has left us the following 
beautiful lines in this connection : — 

' Like the bloom of the Rose, when fresh plucked and 
full blown 
Sweetly soft is thy nature and air. 
Like the beautiful Cypress in Paradise grown, 
On my memory thy locks have a grateful perfume, 
Far more grateful than Jasmine's sweet scents.' 

A A'isitor in recent years says : — ' On my first entering the 
bower of the fairy land I was struck with the appearance of 
two Rose trees, full fourteen feet high, laden with thousands 
of flowers in each degree of expansion, and of a bloom and 
delicacy of scent that imbued the whole atmosphere with 
exquisite perfumes.' 

In the days when Asia was less disturbed, time seems to 
have been found to follow the culture of scented plants in the 
smaller states, for the Emperor Baber, an Indian ruler who 
conquered Afghanistan, speaks of 'The Garden of Fidelity 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxxi 



at Cabul, which overlooks the river, so charmingly laid 
out, and at the season when the orange becomes yellow, 
the bloom is perfectly delightful. Another garden near is 
similarly described, " that contains many trees giving delight- 
ful shade, and emitting powerful scents," ' and in our own 
time we find the Ameer disposed to encourage the growth of 
all that is choice and attractive throughout his domains 
according to Western methods. 

Oriental styles of floriculture have from very early days 
formed a striking feature in the lives of the princes and 
nobles of India. And to this day scented flowers are largely 
used at all the great festivals, whether of grief or rejoicing, 
and the temples are adorned with freshly gathered blossoms. 
From authentic accounts we find that, in general character, 
the fashion appears to have been borrowed from Persia and 
Arabia ; but the history of this great nation has not yet been 
sufficiently developed from original sources to enable us to 
write accurately of the state of its gardening at so remote a 
period. The fabulous stories that have been handed down by 
ancient witers are mainly fiction of the most extravagant 
order. When they tell us ^ that streams of rose-water, milk 
and honey were seen to flow in every direction,' we are 
inclined to accept the statement with reservation. 

According to Hindu mythology there are five heavens at 
the summits of the Himalayas, each presided over by one or 
other of the gods. In all these Elysiums perfumed flowers 
are amongst the chief of delights. 

' That blue flower which, Brahmins say, 
Blooms nowhere but in Paradise/ 

must be the blue Champac flower, a great rarity, as the only 
sort we know (Michelia Chamjxtca) has yellow, intensely 



XXXll 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



fragrant blossoms, Avith which Hindu girls are wont to 
decorate their raven hair. 

Who has not read the mythological tale of the inception of 
that delicate perfume styled ' Attar of Roses ' which is thus 
related in Arabian Researches : — Novrjehun Begum, the 
favourite wife of Jehan-Geer, was on one occasion walking in 
her garden, through which ran a canal, kept constantly 
flowing with rose-water, when she remarked some oily par- 
ticles floating on the surface, these were collected, and their 
aroma found to be so delicious that means Avere devised to 
produce the precious essence in a regular way. 

The Bera festival is an occasion when scented flowers are 
used in the greatest profusion, and we extract the following 
lines from a beautiful poem illustrating these entertain- 
ments : — 

* The air was filled with the sweet breath of flowers 
And music awoke the silent hours ; 
Each brought her perfumed lamp, and swift 
A thousand lights along the current drift. ' — Mrs. Carshore. 

Another high authority on all Oriental customs clearly 
alludes in the following beautiful apologue to the launching 
of their fragrant lamps by Hindu maidens, 

' The Hindu maiden as she throws 
Sweet Champac, Lotus, Jasmine, Rose, 
Prays for a moment's peace or wealth, 
Prays for a child's success or health. 
For a fond husband breathes a prayer, 
For happiness their loves to share. ' — ^Horace Wilson. 

In tropical climates the perfumes emitted by many plants 
arc far stronger than in our own land, and when Europeans 
first visit India they are usually quite overpowered by these 
influences, especially of the large Jasmines and the Henna. 
The fragrance at early dawn of Eastern flowers is described 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxxiii 



as delicious, the ' dews being quite impregnated with their 
odours, and rendering a morning walk at certain seasons 
most delightful.' 

Here let us c^uote from an Indian missionary, his dearest 
feelings and thoughts whilst rambling in the hills of India, in 
the early hours of morn : — 

' Fair scenes ! where breeze and sun diffuse 
The sweetest odours, fairest hues, 
Where dainty fragrance floateth wide 
O'er velvet lawn and glassy tide ; 
'Xeath burning heavens — a hush profound, 
Breathing on the shaded ground — 
Through this warm air, on this warm sod 
Stern deadly winter never trod. ' — Richardsox. 

^The Palace of Delhi,' says Bishop Heber, * is now in a 
ruinous state ; the gardens must have been rich and beautiful, 
they are full of old trees, dainty Eoses, and sweet-smelling 
Joncj[uils.' 

Another writer, referring to the Eoyal Gardens near 
Lahore, says : — 

' Beautiful trees are plentiful, both fruiting and ornamental ; 
there are also borders of flowers, among which the scented 
Narcissus abounds. The marble fountains were always filled 
with delicious rose-water.' 

Fryer, writing in 1698, states at that date there was no 
great variety of flowers in India : — 

'Jessamins, the tree Mallow {HiUscus rosa imitalilis), some 
few Lysimachias, Malvas, and some Wallflowers or Stock- 
Gillyflowers being the height of which they aim at.' He 
mentions also the ' Silk Cotton Tree, and a tree called Arbor- 
tristis {Mjdanthes Arbor4ristis). These are "all the choice." 
He adds : ' Eoses would grow here if they would but cultivate 
them.' 

c 



xxxiv 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



Now, Western India is, both in Parsee and Hindu, as in 
English gardens, ^a ^rilderness of scented Eoses.' 

The renowned gardens of Patna "were charming and exten- 
sive, and the ancient cemeteries of this city appear to have 
all been tastefully decorated with odorous flowers. 

' Fond maids, the chosen of their hearts to please, 
Entwine their ears with sweet Sirisha flowers, 
Whose fragrant lips attract the kiss of bees, 
That softly murmur through the summer hours.' 

It would take up far too much space to name all the other 
plants T\dth scented attractions that have, since the time of 
Fryer, gradually become thoroughly naturalised in India, and 
are now cultivated as important commercial commodities. 
In this connection, the Troxncal Agriculturist recommends, 
in addition to Eoses, Jasmine, and Orange blossoms, that 
' Lavender and Violets, with other strongly-scented flowers, 
will grow luxuriantly in all the hill-tracts of India, but though 
showing greater vigour under the brilliant tropical sunlight 
of the more southern mountain ranges as far as growth goes, 
will be found more deficient in strength than their congeners 
grown in the semi-tropical and more temperate northern lati- 
tudes. Both plants we have adduced as pioneer perfume-pro- 
ducers are sub-tropical in origin, though, from their hardiness, 
they have been acclimatised in countries which, one would 
have thought, gave not the slightest hope of their thriving. 
Suitable tracts for the propagation of all plants are best in- 
dicated by observation of the indigenous flora, and Avherever 
such is found at all approaching that of Europe, reasonable 
hopes of success in the introduction of the two plants named 
may be anticipated. Now, as the flora indicated extends all 
through the outer Himalayas, it will be seen over what a 
vast field scent-producing plants may be propagated, for 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



XXXV 



though mentioning Lavender and Violets as examples, there 
are others, the introduction of which ^vill readily suggest them- 
selves to any one acquainted with Southern European botany.' 

In the island of Ceylon, where the flowering trees and 
shrubs are so beautiful, and where the blossoms among the 
verdure are so plentiful that the trees are said to stand upon 
a carpet of flowers, the scent at early morning and in the 
dews of evening, is far more powerful than can be conceived 
by those accustomed only to the flowers of cooler latitudes. 
The passengers of vessels approaching Ceylon can perceive 
these gales 

' That sigh along 
Beds of Oriental flowers ' 

long before they reach its shores. 

With the Buddhist community scented flowers take a lead- 
ing part in ceremonials, so much so that the whole atmosphere 
is rendered oppressive with the perfume of Jessamine, and the 
shrine of the deity is also thickly strewn with choice exotics 
that emit the most delicate aromas. 

If oiu^ English flowers lack the overpowering influences of 
their Oriental kind, they at all events excel them in other 
respects, delighting the eye with their more delicate beauty, 
and charming the sense of smell with their perfumes, Avhich 
are rarely disagreeable by reason of their aromatic nature. 

The fragrance yielded by certain plants when brmsed has 
aftbrdecl many beautiful images of the poets. Moore alludes 
to this circumstance when speaking of the only real consola- 
tion in sorrow : — 

' B-at thou canst heal the broken heart, 
Which like the plants that thro^Y 

Their fragrance from the wounded part, 
Breathes sweetness out of woe. ' 

Both China and Japan harbour many beautifully fragrant 



xxxvi 



FLORA ODORATA 



flowers placed in their land by bountiful Nature, that have 
in all generations been much sought after for decorative pur- 
poses. It is reported by their great teacher Confucius, that 
upon certain state ceremonies, when flowers were scattered 
about, their sweet fragrance would permeate the atmosphere. 

The chief floral festival of the Chinese is upon their New 
Year's Day, when the rivers are covered with boats, decorated 
with scented flowers, and their homes and temples richly hung 
mth festoons of deliciously perfumed blossoms. 

Boughs in blossom of the Peach and Plum, flowers of the 
Magnolia, Lily, Jessamine, Narcissus, and Jonquil, are on 
sale in every direction. Even the Chinese ladies, who are 
rarely visible at any other season, are drawn out by the sweet 
aromas dispensed around. 

One of the finest traits of the Chinese character is their 
fondness for beautiful flowers, and their greatest pleasure is 
to form their gardens with walks leading to some delightful 
spot, through groves of the Orange, Myrtle, Eose, Honey- 
suckle, and Jessamine, to dainty arbours on the banks of tiny 
rivulets, cooled by the fragrant breeze imparted by the mass 
of bloom. 

Although the early dwellers of Britain appeared to value 
the numerous aromatic herbs indigenous to the soil, to cure 
their wounds, beautify the charms of the fair, or the burning 
of fragrant substances in their religious rites, they have left 
no records of their customs in the use of scented floAvers, 
possibly because so few of these beautiful tributes of Nature 
were known in the countrj^ at the time. 

During the period of the Crusades, and before carpets 
came into use, sweet rushes and dried flowers from the fields 
were strewn on the floor, which spread a pleasing fragrance 
through the atmosphere. The following lines from a book 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxxvii 



of the period show that the introduction of flowers from 
distant parts had also taken place : 

' I am roLich sTveeter than incense or the Kose 
That so pleasantly on the earth's turf grows ; 
More delicate am I than the Lily ! ' 

During the sixteenth century, when intercourse between 
Eiu^ope and the East iDecame general, many dainty products 
found their way into cultivation, and from this time forward 
our gardens have become full of these beautiful gifts of 
Nature from all parts of the world. 

It was the custom in Shakespeare's time to strew scented 
flowers in the pews of the churches, and in a play of the 
period we find the follo^dng lines illustrating the habit — 

' My lady's fair pe^y had be^n strewn full gay 
^Yith Primroses, Cowslips, and Violets sweet, 
With Mints, with Marigolds, and Marjoram.' 

Shakespeare himself had a spacious and beautiful garden full 
of dainty odoiu's from Honeysuckle bowers, indeed it was in 
all probability whilst in some shady nook under its flower- 
laden walls that he wrote ' The Merry Wives of Windsor ' in 
which Mrs. Quickly, enumerating to Falstaff all the presents 
made to Mrs. Ford says, better after letter, gift after gift, 
smelling so sweetly, all musk.' 

Most of oiu: poets seem to delight in the attractions of 
fragrant bloom. Co^^'per was never happier than when 
penning his lines in the secluded gTOves of his riu^al home. 
Milton must have been a passionate lover of flowers, or he 
never could have exhibited the exquisite taste and genial 
feelings which characterise all the floral allusions and descrip- 
tions with which so much of his poetry is embellished. 

Pope, in his lovely garden at T^^^ickenham, and Shenstone 



xxxviii 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



in his appreciation of similar enjoyment, have taught us to 
understand how much taste and refinement may be connected 
with the cultivation of beautiful flowers. Sir William Temple, 
a floral enthusiast of a past generation, speaks thus of the 
pleasure of his garden — ' The sweetness of the air, the 
pleasantness of the smell, the verdure of plants, the exemp- 
tion from cares and solitude, seem equally to favour and 
improve both contemplation and health.' 

Wordsworth, though he passionately admired the shades 
and hues of flowers, knew nothing of their fragrance, as he 
is said to have possessed at no time of his life the sense of 
smell. 

Here is a nosegay of flowers from the hand of Thomson — 

' The lavish Stock that scents the garden round ; 
Jonquils of potent fragrance ; or Narcissus fair, 
Or showers from every bush of damask Rose. ' 

Adams in his muse on the language of flowers says — 

' A mystic language, perfect in each part, 
Made up of bright-hued thoughts and perfumed speeches.' 

Spenser has poured forth his verse in elegant terms when 
describing the garden of Adonis, for he says : — 

' There is continual spring and harvest there. 
For all the plants do scented blossoms bear ; 
Among the shady leaves, their sweet delight 
Throw forth such dainty odours day and night.' 

Again he speaks of a bower in Avhich 

' The arbor green with Roses spread, 
AYhich dainty odours round them throw, 
The Eglantine with fragrant head 
Did breathe out smells and pretty colour show.' 

These momentary visions of harmony with the poets bring 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xxxix 



to our minds the sweet suiTOundings of our youth, which 
Kirke White so tastefully describes — 

* That hut is mine ; that cottage half embower'd 
With modest Jessamine, and that sweet spot, 
Where, ranged in neat array, 

Grew countless sweets, the Wallflower and the Pink, 
And the thick Thyme bush — even that is mine : 
And the old Rose that shades the court 
Has been my joy from very childhood up.' 

Again — 

' I remember, I remember, 

A garden long ago ; 
'Tis not laid out in modern style, 

In curious bed and row. 
And only sweet old-fashioned flowers 

Grow freely, gaily, there, 
And make a mass of glorious bloom. 

And perfume all the air. ' 

The late Miss North, whose writings breathe so freshly of 
the Nature she loved so dearly, has expressed herself in 
similar strain, and so also has Mrs. Meredith, who we believe 
now resides in Tasmania. 

In many parts of Germany and Northern Europe it is the 
custom when a maiden is laid in her coffin to crown her with 
a Myrtle wreath, whilst this flower, the emblem of love and 
chastity (and already consecrated to Aphrodite, representative 
herself in the beginning of the purest conception of the world's 
first principle) constitutes an essential part of the bridal array 
in our own country, and the sprigs are often planted and 
produce a shrubby tree always enshrouded with cherished 
memories. 

The first idea of wearing Orange blossoms comes from the 
Saracens, amongst whom the Orange branch was considered 
an emblem of prosperity, thus the fashion extended through 
France, and it now takes a leading place in bridal adornment. 



xl 



FLORA ODORATA 



In America the wedding or bridal bell is now considered 
almost as indispensable as the ceremony ; it is composed of 
pure white sweet-scented flowers in which the Tuberose and 
Carnation take a leading part. 

A great many of the Californian flowers are very fragrant, 
the Syringa family being conspicuous in this respect, these 
flowers, emitting the pleasant odour peculiar to their kind, 
oppress the air for a long way round Avith a rich and delicious 
perfume. 

Although Australia produces plenty of sweet-scented flowers 
and plants, and whole forests of trees with fragrant leaves, the 
natives of the Antipodes do not appear to have realised any 
great pleasure from them beyond their usefulness in embalm- 
ing the dead. Now, however, where we find these important 
countries largely colonised by our own kith and kin, we see 
dainty products thriving in every direction, and the cultiva- 
tion of perfumed plants for the production of scent is fast 
becoming a great industry both in Victoria and New South 
Wales. 

In New Zealand, embalming the bodies of the chiefs with 
flowers and sweet-smelling herbs has been practised for 
generations, but now these islands are so closely associated 
Avith everything that is British that they know as much of 
fragrant plants as we do at home. 

Sir Walter Scott tells us that 

' The Myrtle bough bids lovers die,' 

and, in the language of flowers, a sprig of Hawthorn has the 
same meaning as a spray of Myrtle, the sweet Heliotrope the 
depth of his passion ; poor Ophelia gives Rosemary for remem- 
brance; Bergamot and Jessamine imply the fragrance of friend- 
ship, the Primrose is the emblem of the spring of human life, 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xli 



the white Eose of girlhood, the full blossom of the red Eose 
of consummate iDeauty, the Myrrh of gladness, the s^veet 
Violet of modesty, the sweet Sultan of felicity, the Amaryllis 
of pride, the Verbena of sensibility, the Honeysuckle of the 
bond of love. The floral language, however, is not always a 
tribute of love or compliment, for it is sometimes severe and 
scornful, as ^ntness the fact when a gentleman sent a lady a 
beautiful Eose as a declaration of his passion and a slip of 
paper attached, with the inscription — 'If not accepted I am 
ofi* to the wars ; ' in return the lady forwarded the fruit of a 
Mango (Man go I). 

Lord Beaconsfield, in one of the charming novels of his 
earlier days, gives the follo^ving dainty description of Lady 
Corisancle's garden : — 

* Her ladyship's garden is the gayest and sweetest of 
creations, no flowers were admitted that did not possess a 
delicate perfume. 

' The duke had given the garden to Lady Corisande, in order 
that she might practise her theory that flower-gardens should 
be sweet and luximant, and not hard and scentless with imita- 
tions of works of art. Here, in the season, flourished aljun- 
dantly all those productions of Xature which are often 
banished from positions where they glorify our delightful 
senses ; huge bushes of Honeysuckle, and bowers of Sweet 
Peas, and Sweet Brier, and Jessamine clustering over the 
walls, and Gillyflowers scenting with their sweet breath the 
ancient bricks from which they seem to spring : there were 
banks of Violets, the dainty perfume from which the southern 
breeze always stirred, and the fragrant Mignonette filled 
every vacant nook. The whole garden seemed a blaze of 
Eoses and Carnations, though one recognised in a moment 
the presence of the Lily, the Heliotrope, and the Stock, and 



xlii 



FLORA ODORATA 



thus we sauntered and rambled in the sweet and balmy air, 
amid a blaze of butterflies, and the ceaseless hum of bees.' 
— Lothair. 

' Flowers distilled, though they with winter meet, 
Lose but their odour, their substance still lives sweet.' 

— Shakespeare. 

The cultivation of plants and flowers in large areas forms a 
great industry, wherever the climate gives them a sufficient 
intensity of odoin* for a profitable extraction ; and the art of 
manufacturing these pleasing tributes of Xature has now 
attained to a considerable degree of perfection. 

In the neighbourhood of Grasse the very air is permeated 
by an overwhelming perfume, and large factories are busy 
night and day in extracting the delicious nectar. 

There are several ways of doing this. The first and coarsest 
method, which is used for Lavender, Thyme, Peppermint and 
Geranium, is by boiling down the flowers. The second, which 
is used for the Rose, Heliotrope, Lilac, and ordinary Yiolet, is 
the old plan of distillation. And the third, which is reserved 
for Parma Yiolet, Jasmine, Tuberose, and such expensive 
essences, is the so-called cold method ; the slowest, and there- 
fore the dearest, but the most efiective of all. For this last, 
the flowers, which are first carefully weighed, are heaped 
upon a table, round which are seated about twenty girls, each 
with a frame before her, like a good -sized window-pane. 
The glass of this frame is, so to speak, buttered on both sides 
with a mixture of veal fat and a little oil. On the glass the 
girls strew as many flowers as will lightly hide it, and 
covers them with another glass similarly treated. Then 
comes another layer of flowers and another glass till there are 
ten glasses in a heap. The next day the flowers, which are 
by that time quite faded, and have given out all their scent into 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xliii 



the grease above and below them, are removed, and fresh 
flowers are strewn in their place. This proceeding is repeated 
eight or ten times. The perfumed grease is then put into 
large, closely-covered vats, with an equal Cjuantity of spirit. 
In the vats are wheels which are tiu^ned by machinery. The 
rapid revolutions of the wheels beats out of the grease most 
of the perfume it has soaked in; the grease sinks to the 
bottom, and is used to make soap, pomade, etc., and the spirit 
which contains the true essence of the flowers is bottled, and 
fetches the highest prices given for scent. 

From Italy comes the essences extracted from the Citron 
family together with the Bergamot. To Turkey we look for 
some of the finest ' attar of Eoses,' whilst Spain cultivates 
extensive tracts of Lavender, Eosemary, and other plants 
emitting a delightful fragrance. 

The Ylang Ylang is produced by a tree found on the 
islands of the Indian Ai^chipelago, its curious name signifying 
the flower of flowers. The attar of Ylang Ylang is more 
costly than even the attar of Eoses. The odour is so power- 
ful that it scents the air for miles around the trees. 

The perfume known as Patchouli comes from an Indian 
herb of that name, from which the attar is obtained. So 
strong is the odour that, mixed proportionately with another 
attar the Patchouli "^-ill predominate. For a handkerchief 
perfume it is sweetened with Eose. 

The similarity in odour to Vanilla of the sweet-scented 
Tonga Bean, which comes from French Guiana, is an allure- 
ment to the perfumer to substitute it for the more exj^ensive 
Vanilla. It is used in a similar manner, in combination with 
other odours, and is the principal ingredient in the perfume 
called essences of new-mown hay. 

In our own moist and moderate climate we cannot under- 



xliv 



FLORA ODORATA 



take the growth of many dainty flowers for the polyposes of 
scent-making ; we are, however, happily able to cultivate 
Lavender, Peppermint, and a few other products of which the 
consumption is very great, and in this connection, we cannot 
close this chapter without calling attention to the debt of 
gratitude the world at large owes to the enterprise and in- 
genuity of the great commercial firms who manipulate and 
distribute the essences of these sweet tributes of Xature : it 
would seem there is scarcely a scented flower, whose fragrant 
attractions cannot be reproduced by scientific processes, and 
ofi'ered in a convenient form. Surely these dispensers of 
such delicious sweetness can only be classed as benefactors to 
mankind. Xo table in this category may be mentioned 
Messrs. Piesse and Lubin, and Mons. Eugene Eimmel, the 
eminent perfumers of London, and it would be somewhat 
unfair to omit to refer to the large establishments that 
distribute such enormous quantities of the seeds of many 
fragrant plants ; we have seen immense breadths, when travel- 
ling on some of the leading railways, that are magnificent 
to behold when in full flower : in particular we have been 
struck with some extensive flower farms on the Essex coast, 
where hundreds of acres of delightfully scented flowers may 
be seen during the Summer months waving their dainty heads 
and perfuming the air with sweet fragance for miles round. 

' Thousands of flowers there are beaming. 
The verdure smiling, and the hushed waves dreaming ; 
Each flower is still a brighter hue assuming, 
Each a fair league, the love-sick air perfuming.' 

Another important point in connection with our subject 
into which it may be instructive to peep, is, that it is not 
yet fully appreciated in England, although well known from 
experience in the East, that perfumes, vegetable scents, and 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xlv 



sweet odoriferous plants, possesses energetic antiseptic quali- 
ties, and possibly some clew to these properties resulted in 
the origin of the burning of incense in the early days, to 
lessen the spreading of diseases of an infectious character. 
Yet there still exists in the minds of many persons a strong 
prejudice against all sweet scents, as we shall presently show. 

With the wisdom of our ancestors to guide us we are the 
more convinced that we must not despise the use of the scent- 
bottle: and also the cultivation of simple aromatic plants 
in the manner of our forefathers, which has become unfashion- 
able, may well occupy the attention of our horticulturists at 
times when there is so much sickness about, and upon this 
point we Avould refer readers to the old-tirne customs in the 
use of Eue {^ee Paita). 

Some years ago the Journal of Cheraistri/ published an in- 
teresting article containing simple instructions upon obtaining 
scents from the garden, which we partly reproduce, as it bears 
such close affinity to our subject : — 

' The ordinary method of obtaining the perfume of flowers, 
and one that has been employed for ages, is by distillation, a 
process by which Ave may possess their sAveetness in Avinter, 
when their beauty has passed aAvay. The odour of flowers is 
due to a minute portion of a volatile oil, which is continually 
generated and giA'en off by the plant. When the flowers are 
distilled AA-^th Avater. the essential oil rises with the stearn. and 
is condensed Avith it in the I'eceiver. But the fragrant 
principle may be obtained in another way, which, as it re- 
quires no apparatus, may furnish an agreeable recreation to 
some of our readers who haA^e floAver gardens and plenty of 
leisiu"'e. The sAveetness that Avould otherwise be wasted on 
the summer air may thus be saved to delight the sense long- 
after the blossoms that exhaled it ha v^e perished. 



xlvi 



FLORA ODOR ATA 



' Gather the flowers with as little of the stalk as possible, and 
put them in a jar three-quarters full of Olive oil. After they 
have soaked in the oil for twenty-four hours, the whole must 
be put into a coarse black bag, and the oil squeezed out ; 
then fresh flowers are to be added and the process repeated 
for twenty days or more, according to the strength of the 
perfume desired. "When the odour of only one species is 
wanted, an immense number of the flowers are necessary to 
produce a scented oil, and special cultivation would be re- 
quired to furnish them ; but the amateur may use almost any 
sweet-scented flowers that come to hand, and get a mixed 
perfume, or Milh fleurs (thousand flowers) as the French call 
it. The smaller kinds are to be preferred for the purpose, 
such as Sweet Pea, Mignonette, Stocks, Clove, Pink, etc. 
The larger blossoms are not adapted for use by the novice, as 
the odour they impart does not compensate for the space they 
take up. The oil, when thoroughly perfumed, is to be mixed 
A^dth an equal quantity of strong deodorized " alcohol, and 
shaken every day for a fortnight ; after Avhich the spirit may 
be poured ofl" quite clear and bright, and will be found highly 
charged with the odoriferous principle that was collected in 
the oil. Flowers that are going out of bloom are as good for 
this purpose as those in their prime, so that the garden need 
not be despoiled of its beauty for the experiment.' 

To quote Shakespeare again, — 

* Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odours made.' 

We presume that most persons would prefer to buy their 
perfumes, rather than to manufacture them in this way ; but 
some may enjoy the work for its own sake, and consider that 
the fragrant product is worth all the time and trouble it has 
cost. 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xlvii 



Many, indeed, are the combinations of perfumes, and some 
of the bouquets that have thus been made, indicate the extent 
to which the art of perfumery may be developed — to concen- 
trate the fragrance of an entire garden into one little bottle. 
While the odour of each flower in the combination is pre- 
served, not one sufficiently exceeds the other to make the 
perfume characteristic of either, but so impregnated has the 
one become with the other that each permeates the v^'hole. 

From the rinds of such fruit as the Orange, Lemon, Citron, 
and Bergamot, extracts used in perfumery are obtained by 
expression, which consists of grating the peel, and thus bm^st- 
ing the vesicles containing the attar. The percolator that is 
used in obtaining tinctures ^^'ill serve the purpose. The 
Orange flowers also yield an oil that is sweetly fragrant, 
and the leaves are distilled for Eau de Cologne. The most 
beneficial use to which perfumery can be adapted, may be 
found in the toilet waters. Cologne water is frecjuently a 
mixture of the attar of Eose, Orange, Bergamot, and Citron 
in deodorized alcohol, whilst Musk is sometimes used. 

There is yet another fragrant medley of sweet substances 
that claims a place in our pages, in the form of a most delight- 
ful appropriation of Orange blossom, Eose petals, scented 
leaves, herbs and spices : a conglomeration of odorous 
material popularly designated ' Pot-Pourri.' 

Here is one dainty recipe for its manipulation : — Take the 
rind of two Lemons, cut thin, one pound bay salt, one ounce 
of powdered orris root, one ounce of gum benzoin, one ounce 
of cinnamon, one half ounce of cloves, one ounce nutmegs, 
one grain musk, twelve Bay leaves, a few Sage leaves, Eose- 
mary and Lavender cut small, one ounce Lavender water, 
one ounce Eau de Cologne, one ounce Bergamot. Mix all 
together in a pan, and add sweet flowers in their natural 



xlviii 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



state as they come into blossom, stir up frequently — at least 
once a day. It must be put in a covered stone pot, with a 
wooden spoon to stir it with. At the end of two or three 
months this will be a sweet-scented mass ready to fill any 
number of pretty Japanese Eose jars. From time to time 
throw in fresh Rose petals. 

The following mixture is said to retain its fragrance for fifty 
years : — G-ather early in the day and when perfectly dry, a 
peck of Eoses, pick ofl" the petals and strew over them three- 
quarters of a pound of common salt. Let them remain two 
or three days, and if fresh flowers are added, some more salt 
must be sprinkled over them. Mix with the Eoses half a 
pound of finely pounded bay salt, the same quantity of 
allspice, cloves, and brown sugar, a quarter of a pound of 
gum benzoin, and two ounces of powdered orris root. Add 
one gill of brandy and any sort of fragrant flowers, such as 
Orange and Lemon flowers. Lavender and Lemon-scented 
Verbena, and any other sweet-scented flowers. They should 
be perfectly dry when added. The mixture must be occa- 
sionally stirred and kept in close-covered jars, the covers to 
be raised only when the perfume is desired in the room. If 
after a time the mixture seems to dry, moisten ^\dth brandy 
only, as essences too soon lose their quality and injure the 
perfume. 

Another plan is to prepare two pecks of dry Eose leaves 
and buds, one handful each of Orange flowers, Violets, and 
Jessamine, one ounce sliced orris root and cinnamon, one- 
quarter ounce of musk, one-quarter pound sliced Angelica 
root, one-quarter pound of red part of cloves, two handfuls 
of Lavender flowers. Heliotrope, and Mignonette, one half 
handful each of Eosemary flowers. Bay and Laurel leaves, 
three sweet Oranges stuck full of Cloves and dried in the 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



xlix 



oven and then po^vdered in a mortar, one half handful of 
Marjoram, t^vo handfuls of Balm of Grilead dried, one handful 
each of Bergamot, Balm, Pine-apple, and Peppermint leaves. 
Mix well together, and put in layers in a large china jar ; 
sprinkle salt between the layers, add a small bottle of extract 
of new-mown hay and moisten ^vith brandy. If the mixture 
becomes too dry, stir it, adding liquid or additional leaves 
when wanted for use. If the jar is tightly corked, this pre- 
paration will keep and be fragrant for many years. 

Reception-rooms and dining-rooms on the occasion of great 
fetes are often overloaded with flowers, and to the heat and 
crowd of the room is added an odour which is frequently 
overpowering, and in some cases actually unpleasant. Par- 
ticular flowers are, by their form or smell, intolerable to some 
over-sensitive persons. It is feared a great deal of fancy may 
be attributed to such delicate taste, and in this connection 
it Avill be allowed as reasonable to conjecture that there is 
some truth in the story of the lady who fancied she could 
not bear the scent of the Rose, and fainted on embracing a 
friend who was adorned ^vith a bunch, and yet these innocent 
attractions were only artificial. 

It is peculiarly interesting to observe how the profoundest 
depths of thought and feeling are sometimes stirred by 
imagination. In our own experience we have met with 
people who absolutely abhorred the delicious aroma of the 
graceful Jessamine, the elegant Hyacinth, the gorgeous Lily, 
and the honey smell of the shapely Lime-tree. There is no 
doubt that strong-smelling flowers are not wisely placed in 
the bedrooms of sick persons, particularly at night, although 
some agreeable medical researches of recent date have resulted 
in the discovery that floral perfumes have a positively health- 
ful influence on the atmosphere, converting its oxygen into 

d 



1 



FLORA ODOR AT A 



ozone, and thus increasing its oxyclising powers, whilst there 
can be but one opinion as to the desirableness of furnishing 
our conservatories with plenty of all kinds distinguished for 
their perfumes, and for which their delicate odours hold them 
in universal esteem. 

Some interesting investigations have lately been made in 
relation to the effect of certain scented flowers upon the 
nervous system. The experts vary somewhat, as might be 
expected, but their conclusions as a whole appear to be based 
on a sound foundation. 

According to the opinions of M. de Parville, a French 
scientist, which are based on facts communicated by throat 
specialists, the smell of Violets, Lilies of the Valley, Carna- 
tions, and the Mimosa have an injurious effect on the voice. 
People who throw these flowers at singers or actresses do, 
accordingly, an injudicious thing. 

Another learned French specialist, M. Joal, has lately 
issued in Paris a treatise bearing the title, Le Banger des 
Fleurs. He writes most profoundly of the chemical decom- 
position of the atmosphere caused by the odours given off 
by flowers, and the consequent great increase of carbonic acid 
gas ; of the partial asphyxia which results to human beings 
breathing this vitiated air ; and of the poisoning of the 
system caused by inhaling the emanations of the essential 
oil contained in certain flowers. 

Personal susceptibility has much to do with the injurious 
effects that may result from smelling certain flowers, and M. 
Joal cannot therefore say what particular flowers should be 
avoided by certain temperaments. 

The professors of the Paris Conservatoire are divided in 
opinion. One is inclined to think that suggestion plays an 
important part ; another admits the evil influence of flowers ; 



HISTORICAL SKETCH 



li 



a third says some voices resist, and others, less solid, suffer 
from their influence. 

Dr. Faiivel, the specialist for throat complaints, has, it 
appears, advised the directors of the Opera not to alloAv 
bouquets of any kind to be put in the dressing-room of the 
sino^ers. A well-known teacher is so well aware of the eftects 
of floral scents that, by his advice, she insists upon her pupils 
having nothing to do with flowers or perfumes while receiv- 
ing singing lessons. He remembers Marie Sass singing once 
at Baron Eothschild's, and savouring with delight a splendid 
bouquet of Parma Violets. After this she could not produce 
a note. He has a theory as to the cause — a vibratory struggle 
between the sound-waves and odour-waves. Dr. Gougen- 
heim, whilst admitting the fact, has no explanation to give. 
He is a professor at the Conservatoire as well as hospital 
physician, and has treated the subject in his lessons, but 
asserts that no scientific explanation has ever been given. 
The phenomenon is probably a nervous one. 

It is suggested that a great percentage of the headaches, 
colds in the head, and the like ailments from which people, 
especially the fair sex, suff'er on the morning after attending 
a ball, dinner-party, or other social function, is a direct result 
of the odours of the floral decorations. This will at least 
be useful in supplying a new excuse to the man who wakes 
up in the morning with ^ a head.' 

We would all willingly wed such lovely things as flowers 
and music, and it is sad if they are enemies. 

In regard to the species of plants with scented attractions, 
a French authority has had the curiosity to inquire into the 
subject, with the following result: 'About 4200 species of 
plants are utilised for various purposes in Europe ; of these 
only about one-tenth have an agreeable perfume, the others 



lii FLORA ODORATA— HISTORICAL SKETCH 



being either inodorous or having an unpleasant smell. White 
flowers are the most numerous; 1124 species out of 4200 are 
white, and 187 of these have a scent; 931 (77 perfumed) are 
yellow, next in order comes red with 823, of which 84 give 
forth a perfume ; then blue 594 (34 scented), and violet 308, 
only 13 of which have any perfume. The remaining 400 
kinds are of various shades of colour, and only 28 of them 
have a pleasant smell.' 

Another authority has been making researches into the 
origin of perfume in flowers, and comes to the conclusion 
that (1) the essential oil is generally found localised in the 
epidermic cells of the upper surface of the petals or sepals. 
It may exist upon both surfaces, especially if the floral parts 
are completely concealed in the bud. The lower surface 
generally contains tannin or pigments derived therefrom. 
(2) The chlorophyll seems in all cases to give rise to the 
essential oil. (3) The disengagement of the perfume of 
the flower makes itself perceptible only when the essential 
oil is sufficiently disengaged from the intermediate pro- 
ducts that have given rise to it, and is found, in a manner, 
in a ratio inverse to the production of tannin and pigments in 
the flower. This will explain why flowers with green petals 
have no odour ; why white or rose-coloured flowers are most 
often odoriferous; why many of the Compositce, which are 
rich in tannin, have the disagreeable odour that they are 
known to possess ; and why the white Lilac and forced Roses 
take on a finer perfume. 



AX ALPHABETICAL LIST OF SWEET 
SMELLIXG PLANTS. 

Abelia triflora. — A compact evergreen shrub from the Himalayas and 
Eastern Asia belonging to the Honeysuckle family, bearing long 
clusters of daintily -scented lavender pink flowers towards the end 
of the summer. Will thrive out of doors in sheltered situations in 
many parts of England. A. rupestris, A. florihunda are also 
charming varieties with scented attractions. 

Abobra viridiflora. — A perennial tropical tuberous-rooted climber 
belonging to the Cucurbit family, with shining leaves and pale 
green fragrant flowers, sometimes followed by a pretty oval fruit 
that assumes a ^'ivid scarlet colour when ripe. 

Abronia umbellata (Sand Verbena). — This charming plant is one 
amongst many that have found their way into cultivation from 
that paradise of flowers — California. It is an annual, growing 
about six inches high, and bearing on erect stems a bunch of rosy- 
lilac bloom, which is exquisitely scented. The plant is very efl'ective 
in beds, rock-work, or in baskets suspended in a conservatory. 
A. fragyxins, a hardy perennial, is a native of the Rocky Mountains, 
of trailing habit, sending up a profusion of pure white flowers 
which, when open, emit a delightful vanilla-like fragrance towards 
evening. A, latifolia, another hardy variety, carrying lemon- 
yellow flowers, deliciously scented. A. arenaria, yellow, honey- 
scented. 

Abutilon {Bell Flower). — We cultivate these highly ornamental 
shrubby trees as greenhouse plants, where their attractive leaves 
form a pleasing contrast intermingled with other foliage. They 
come mostly from Japan, China, and Australia ; the Japanese take 
great pri :le in their growth, and possess varieties with both leafage 
and bloom in almost every known colour. The whole group emit 
a kind of odour which some may scarcely consider fragrant ; the 
species pidchellurn. however, possesses the scent of the Hawthorn, 
and is both pretty and worthy of extended cultivation. 



2 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Acacia. — A genus of sliriibby bushes and handsome trees, according 
to the species or part of the world that is their natural habitat ; 
with us most of them are treated as ornamental green-house plants. 
In their native climes many species are of the greatest value com- 
mercially, in the production of durable wood, gum, or oils. As 
cultivated liere they carry a mass of delicate foliage, and their white 
or golden spikes or bunches of fragrant blossom make them addi- 
tionally attractive, particularly as the}^ generally produce their 
lovely blossoms during the early spring months, hailiug the return 
of that beautiful season in presenting an array of incomparable 
beauty, and affording a refreshing gale of perfume. The species 
possessing scented attractions include the following : — 

A. Fariiesiana, with delicately cut foliage and clusters of golden 
globular flowers, that emit a fresh floral fragrance resembling the 
Violet. This species is largely cultivated in the flower farms border- 
ing the Mediterranean Sea for the production of the famed oil of 
cassia ; Acacia clecurrens known as Black Wattle in Victoria and Tas- 
mania, the Silver Wattle (.4. clealhata) and the Broad-leaf Wattle 
(A. 2^ycnant}ia). A. hastidata, with a scent like Hawthorn; A. 
hiflora, smelling like the Cocoa-nut ; A. umhrosa, A. mophi/Ua, A. 
pendula, A. arjnata, A. imjjlexa, A. puhescens, and A. conftrta. 

The hardy Acacia has been made the emblem of domestic felicity, 
and an anonymous writer thus lauds its beauties : — 

' Our rocks are rough, but smiling there 
The Acacia waves her yellow hair ; 
Lovely and sweet, nor loved the less 
For flowering in a wilderness. 
Then come, thy Arab maid will be 
The loved and lone Acacia tree.' 

Achillea Millefolium (Yarrow or Milfoil). — A common plant in pas- 
tures, hedgerows, and wastes, with a peculiarly scented leaf, and 
flower generally of a white or pinkish tinge of colour. In some 
parts of the country it used to be largely employed in bridal 
wreaths, and has been thus described in flower lore under the 
style of Venus-tree : — 

' Thou pretty nest of Venus tree, 

Thy true name it is Yarrow, 
Now Avho my bosom friend must be. 

Pray, tell thou me to-morrow.' 

A. moscliata, an Alpine variety, possesses a musk-like odour. 
Achimenes tubiflora. — A species of a popular gesneraceous family, 
producing clusters of tubular flowers, pale yellow in colour, and 
delicately scented. Native of Central America. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



3 



Acidanthera bicolor [Magpie Gladiolus). — Xative of Abyssinia, 

flower delicioiisly sweet-scented, and very useful for cutting. 
Acocanthera. See Toxicophlsea. 

Acorus Calamus {Sv:eet Sedge).— A rush-like reed grass with a 
peculiar scent. It is largely cultivated in some of our fen 
districts, also on the Continent, and XDarticularly along the shores 
of the Black Sea ; the roots are of service as a commercial com- 
modity. The sweet Calamus is often referred to as being an 
article in great demand in ancient times in the East, where its 
virtues were greatly appreciated by the worshippers of the heathen 
deities. 

Acradenia. — A Tasmanian shrub. A. FranUinil has thick rough 
leaves that are powerfully fragrant. 

Acronychia Cunninghami. — An Australian evergreen shrub, with 
both perfumed leaves and flowers ; the former resembling turpen- 
tine, the latter like orange-blossoms. 

Actinidia polygama. — A climbing Japanese shrub, with white waxy 
flowers delicately perfumed. It requires careful treatment in this 
country if grown out of doors. A. voluhUi-^, also from Japan, bears 
white flowers, possessing a pleasing fragrance. 

Adenandra fragrans. — A species of a beautiful class of evergreen 
greenhouse shrubs from the Cape, producing flowers of a rich but 
soft rosy colour during May, with a powerful yet agreeable 
fragrance. 

Adenophora suaveolens. — An herbaceous perennial plant with elegant 
bell-shaped flowers of the brightest blue. Xative of South Europe. 

Adiantum amabile [Scenteel JIaidenhair). — An elegant stove Fern from 
Brazil, with fronds gracefully curved ; in a young state they are 
slightly scented. This is one of the few Ferns that possess a 
perceptible fragrance. 

Adoxa Moschatellina. — A perennial tuberous plant, native of Britain 
and the cooler parts of Europe, flowers dull green, and musk- 
scented. 

i^^ranthus. See Orchids. 

iErides. See Orchids. 

iEsculus Hippocastanum [Horse- Che-it nut). — A deciduous flowering 
tree, of great ornament in our parks and avenues ; its natural 
habitat is uncertain, but it is supposed to have come to us from 
the eastern corner of Europe. It is onlj^ for the noble candelabra- 
like bunches of honey-scented blossoms that we find a place for 
it in our list, as volumes might be written "of its grand qualities 
from all other points of view. Visitors to Bushey Park, near 
Hampton Court, during the month of May, will have its best 



4 



ajv alphabetical list of 



favours engraven in their memories as a sight neA'er to be forgotten. 
The Horse-Chestnnt is one of those flo^rering trees that penetrate 
the air with their fragrance a distance avray. 

Aganosma. — A giant tropical creeper or climber, bearing large panicles 
of snowy white flowers and cinnamon-like foliage; many of the 
genus are highly fragrant, especially the variety A. caryopJiyUata. 

Ag"laia odorata. — An exceedingly handsome bushy shrub, from China, 
with neat shining foliage. Blossoms with a mass of bright yellow 
flowers, which are delightfully fragrant, and followed by an edible 
berry. The flowers of this plant used to be very fashionable with 
the Chinese for scenting their teas, and also in religious ceremonies. 

Agrimonia odorata {A[rrimony). — An herbaceous perennial, found 
growing wild in many parts of Britain ; the spikes of bright 
3^ellow flowers, which emit a most refreshing and spicy odour, 
are freel}^ produced throughout the summer ; these heads of bloom 
afford capital material for gathering, where fragrance is esteemed 
without striking beauty. Unlike most plants, it can hardly be 
said to lose its interest and peculiar scent when it falls into the 
sere and yellow leaf, for the dried leaves, as well as the flov^ers. 
retain most of their pleasing odour. Agrimony was much sought 
after as a substitute or addition to make the tea go further by our 
grandmothers, and also to add a peculiar delicacy and aroma to 
its flavour. There is another species. A. ti'patorirL also common 
to our islands, with flowers smelling like apricots, and with roots 
that are highly perfumed. 

Akebia. — A genus of evergreen climbers from China, J. qulnata is 
a prett}' species, with magniflcent foliage, largely employed in 
decorating Eastern gardens, and attracts great attention by the 
delightful fragrance of its magnoliadike chocolate-brown flowers. 

Albuca Nelsoni. — A South African bulbous plant, bearing pure white 
fragrant flowers. 

Allamanda. — A genus of beautiful flowering shrubs, mostly from 
Brazil, with a climbing tendency. The large trumpet-shaped 
blossoms are delicate in colour, and elegant in ai^pearance. and 
many of the species are daintily scented. It is cultivated in Britain 
as a stove plant. 

Allium fragrans. — A bulbous plant from South Europe, bearing small 
umbels of greenish white flowers, intert sting for their Heliotrope 
fragrance. The Allium famih^ notwithstanding they are Garlics, 
must, from their beauty and variety, be admitted as bright -hued 
attractive flowers. A. odorum, pink ; A. magicujii, white, with 
robust foliage, is Vanilla scented; and A. p)^(^^'fi^ontanum, rosy 
purple, also has a pleasing odour. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



5 



Allspice. Bee Eugenia. 
Almond. Bee Amygdalus. 

Aloysia citriodora.— A perennial shrnb from Chili; deciduons when 
cultivated out of doors, but when kept in heat or under glass it 
rarely loses its foliage. The plant is an old and general favourite, 
popularly known as the lemon-scented Verbena. The fragrant 
attractions of this delightfully perfumed plant lies in the foliage, 
which is very penetrating, and so peculiarly sweet that few are 
able to resist plucking a leaf as they pass by. A lover of its 
charms in this respect was once heard to exclaim somewdiat petu- 
lantly that he would never grow it again, as every one that came 
into his garden carried away a shoot. A single leaf, if put into a 
book and pressed there, will retain its scent for a prolonged period. 
This dainty plant becomes a shrub of large dimensions in shel- 
tered places, and when established in a warm nook it will sur- 
vive the winter in most of the southern counties. It always makes 
a nice greenhouse plant, and its fresh green leaves are a pleas- 
ingly fragrant addition to the bright flowers that may be gathered 
there at most seasons. 

* This Verbena strains 

The point of passionate fragrance.' — Browning. 

Alpinia calcarata. — An East Indian flowering plant with aromatic 
leaves. Bee Kaempferia. 

Alstrcemeria. — A charming group of tuberous and fibrous-rooted 
plants, mostly from South America ; many are quite hardy. The 
whole class produce beautiful lily-like flow^ers that are extensively 
used for cutting ; their scented attractions are not very pronounced ; 
the variety A. ligtu, howxver, carries pretty white and scarlet 
blossoms that smell strongly like mignonette. 

Alyssum compactum (Bweet Alyssum). — A popular annual, with small 
white flowers, produced in bunches, that emit a delightful fragrance 
resembling new-mown hay. Especially noticeable directly after a 
summer shower has fallen. As a border plant, cultivated in a long 
line or round beds, it is extremely useful, and can be readily grown 
from seeds. 

Alyxia buxifolia {Bcentiuood). — An evergreen shrubby tree, native of 
Australasia. The flowers are delicate in colour, and deliciously 
fragrant of the jasmine. 

Amaryllis. — Under this appellation is embraced a very large family of 
beautiful flowering bulbous plants from almost all parts of the 
world, and although their elegance alone entitles them to a first 
rank among the children of Flora, it is unfortunate so few possess 



6 



A.Y ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



great cliarms from a scented point of view. The name of this 
splendid family is supposed to have been taken from a famous 
shepherdess. Amaryllis are amongst the most strictly beautiful 
of all plants, and the family embraces such superb species as 
Hcvmaii'hus and Xcrine.^. They are closely allied to Lilies, which 
they rival and almost eclipse alike in fragrance aud beauty. 
Hence probably the origin of common name Knights" Star Lily 
given to H'lppcastrum. one of the most beautiful of this glowing 
family. The Belladonna Lily, A. ' -I':- I:-}i]}a. originally from 
the West Indies, is very fragrant, resembling ripe apricots. This 
elegant variety is now largely grown in tlie Channel Islands, and 
is sent to us about September, showing a spike of bloom with- 
out foliage, and is offered for sale in this form : there was a great 
demand for it souie years ago, but being such precarious goods 
to deal in, most of our importers seem to have omitted it from 
their lists. Another form known in America as A -manjni-:< trtafca 
carries a profusion of delicate silvery white blossoms of charm- 
ing beauty and fragrance. A. cinnamonea is also a pleasinglj' 
scented variety. 
Amberboa. *Scc Centaurea moschata. 

Amblyolepis setigera (or Hclcnium sc'''v:rn), — Hardy aunual from 
Texas, with strongly scented bright yellow liowers. When dried 
even, the flowers retain their pleasing fragrance for years, 

Ambora. — An evergreen tree from the Mauritius, with leaves which 
exhale a pleasing aromatic odour. 

Ambrinia pinnatifolia. — A hardy perennial from Xorth America, culti- 
vated for its aromatic foliage. 

Ambrosia Mexicana.— An annual from Central America, with long 
spiral stems covered with bright green foliage and florets which 
are exceedingl}' fragrant. As a plant for making up into bouquets 
and other floral work it is invaluable, and it takes its popular 
name, Ambrosia, from the unsurpassed fragrance of its foliage, 
which smells very like newlj'-mown ha}'. A. maritima is a South 
European annual, with leaves which, when bruised, give out an 
aromatic odour. 

Amethystea casrulea. — A hardy biennial from Siberia, with small 

pale blue flowers and delicately fragrant foliage, 
Ammi copticum. — A Xorth Indian annual herb, with a Thyme-like 

odour. 

Amoora decandra. — A giant Himalayan tree, bearing higlily fragrant 
flowers. 

Amorpha microphylla. — A deciduous shrub from Xorth America, 
bearing spikes of purple flowers with scented attractions. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



7 



Amygdalus communis {Almond). — Although a tree of commerce in 
Southern Europe, it finds a place in our gardens on account of its 
ornamental character, and the fact that it produces a mass of 
beautiful white to rosy red fragrant bloom early in the season 
before the leaves appear, forming a most enchanting harbinger of 
spring. Oils and essences are largely extracted from its fruits in 
those countries where they mature. 

' Yesterday on the boughs 

The bloom hung scented and fair, 
To-day they are scattered, 
The breeze best knows where.' — Miss Landox. 

Amyris acuminata. — An Indian tree, the younger growth when 
bruised emits an odour resembling orange-blossoms. 

Andira retusa. — A Brazilian leguminous tree with purple flowers, 
having an odour of oranges. 

Andromeda floribunda [Arctic Heather). — A North American heath- 
like shrub of compact habit, and bearing spikes of bell-shaped 
flowers that are highly scented. This genus is named in allusion to 
the virgin Andromeda, the beautiful daughter of the Ethiopian king, 
Cepheus, and represented as a girl of most exquisite and unrivalled 
charms ; but these charms remain only so long as she retains her 
virginal purity. This plant is always fixed on some little turfy 
hillock in the midst of the swamps, as Andromeda herself was 
chained to a rock in the sea, which bathed her feet, as the fresh 
water does the roots of this plant. Dragons and venomous serpents 
surrounded her, as toads and other reptiles frequent the abode of 
her vegetable resembler, and when they pair in the spring, throw 
mud and water over its leaves and branches. As the distressed 
virgin cast down her blushing face through excessive afiiiction, so 
does this rosy- coloured flower hang its head, growing paler and 
paler till it withers away. ... At length comes Perseus, in the 
shape of summer, dries up the surrounding w^ater, and drives away 
the monsters, rendering the damsel a fruitful mother, who then 
carries her head (the capsule) erect. They bear with impunity the 
severest winters in any part of Great Britain, and, when fully estab- 
lished, nothing can be more beautiful during the months of March 
and April than these tiny shrubs, covered with pretty bell-shaped 
flowers. Other American sorts are A. coriacea, pink; A. speciom, 
white ; and A. mariana, commonly called the Lily of the Valley 
shrub. There are other species, A. hypnoides and A, tetragona, 
from the frigid climate of Lapland. 

Andropogon. — A genus of scented plants known as grasses^ largely 
cultivated in India, Ceylon, and the Straits Settlements, for their 



8 



A.y ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



essential oils. A. dtratu^s produces the Lemon grass oil or oil of 
Verbena, ha\TQg a somewhat similar fragrance. A. schcenanthus 
gives the oil of Geranium, so largely used to adulterate otto of 
roses ; its leaves are also used for flavouring custards. These 
grasses will thrive in our climate if treated as sub-tropical plants, 
and given protection in cold vreather. 

Androstephium violaceum. — A species of bulbous plants from Central 
America, with umbellous spikes of pale violet flowers that are 
delicately fragrant. 

Anethum Foeniculum [Fennel], — An herbaceous plant with elegant 
feathery foliage that throws ofl' a peculiar fragrance. It is found 
growing wild on many of our eastern coast lines, and the chief uses 
to which it is put is boiling the leaves and serving them up to 
table with certain kinds of n>h. It is readily cultivated, and 
difficult to eradicate when once established. 

Anethum graveolens (Z>'''b, — A hardy biennial: cultivated in our 
gardens chiefly as a medicinal plant, the leaves emitting a power- 
ful aromatic odour allied to Fennel. 

Angelica Archangelica. — A biennial herb found wild in many parts 
of Xorthern Europe. Its name is supposed to signify 'The Holy 
Ghost,' derived from the superstitious virtues imputed to it. The 
chief uses to which the plant is put in the present day are mostly 
confined to confectionery, for which purpose the rootlets and succu- 
lent leaf-stalks are candied : and medical preparations. It is a 
favourite amongst the Laplanders as an article of food,, and they 
apply various names to it. according to the dinerent stages of its 
growth. The garden Angelica gives off a pleasant perfume, and 
though much cannot be said for the beauty of its flowers, it is a 
fine bold plant, and on account of its sweetness and lively colour 
it finds favour wherever grown. Its roots are also fragrant. The 
plant will thrive in any fairly good position that is not shaded, and 
they are at home in the semi-wild garden, or on the banks of run- 
ning water. 

Angelonia grandiflora.— A small herbaceous sub-tropical plant, bear- 
ing long spikes of small blue flowers, resembling a pine-apple in 
scent. 

Angraecum fragrans. See Orchids. 

Anisotome latifolia. — A handsome umbelliferous plant from the South 
Seas, with purple flowers. The whole plant emits an aromatic 
smell when bruised. 

Anoiganthus luteus. — A South -African bulbous plant, bearing a crown 
of fine sweet-scented yellow flovN ers, 

Anona. — A genus of tropical fruiting shruljs and trees found in both 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



9 



the East and West Indies. Several species are remarkable for 
their fragrant leaves, notably A, reticulata, with foliage that smells 
like black currants. 

Anthemis nobilis (Chamomile). — A well-known perennial plant that is 
found growing wild in many parts of Britain. Its flowers, which 
possess peculiar scented attractions, are largely used for medicinal 
purposes. An old writer describes it as the plant physician, for 
not only will decoctions, and the dried leaves powdered, destroy 
insects, but that nothing contributes so much to the health of a 
garden as a number dispersed through it. He further adds that 
no greenhouse should be without it, for if a plant that is drooping 
and apparently dying is placed near the Chamomile it will recover. 
An eminent doctor also affirms that if a piece of the plant is laid 
under the pillow it is an effectual preventative of the dreaded 
nightmare. There are two varieties, the single and double, and 
both can readily be grown from seed. The Pyrethrum is closely 
allied to this plant. 

Anthericum liliastrum (St. Bruno's Lily). — A bulbous-rooted perennial 
plant from South Africa, with long succulent leaves, and bearing 
a profusion of spikes of white fragrant flowers in spring. There 
are few of the dwarf Liliaceous plants which will bear comparison 
with the charming old St. Bruno's Lily. For a front position in 
mixed borders it will be found to be very efi'ective. It bears many 
spikes of spotless white flowers, about two inches long, bell-shaped, 
nearly twice the size of the common A. liliago, which are extremely 
fragrant, and keep long in a cut state. A. alvoides, yellow, is 
also daintily scented. 

Anthoxanthum odoratum (Sweet-scented Vernal Gi^ass).— It is to the 
presence of this grass that hay, from natural meadows so 
largely owes its peculiar fragrance, and it seems curious that this 
attraction should come from the stem and not the flower. The 
vernal grass is certainly, when dried, very powerful ; but there is 
little doubt that other grasses assist in composing the scent of the 
hay, since even when gathered and dried separately, many of them 
yield a degree of perfume. 

Anthurium Duchardi. — A beautiful type of this elegant epiphyte 
bearing white flowers that are deliciously fragrant. A. ornatum, 
bearing white and blue flowers, is a peculiarly scented variety from 
Central America. 

Apios tuberosa. — A tuberous-rooting plant, found wild in many parts 
of America ; very serviceable as a climber for keeping unsightly 
objects covered up. It is an annual in growth, but the tubers in- 
crease in the ground ; in appearance it somewhat resembles our Hop, 



lO 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



and will quickly cover an arbour or trellis with, verdure and bloom. 
The flowers are ornamental, of a deep purple colour, and produced 
in clusters somewhat like the Y>"isteria, and are very sweet scented, 
after the smell of the Violet. It is said that the tubers of this plant 
answered as a tolerable substitute for bread in the early days of 
American colonisation. 

Aponogeton distachyon. — A very interesting, hardy, aquatic herb 
from South Africa, with floating leaves, and producing an abund- 
ance of delicate fragrant white-tinted flowers throughout the 
summer, the scent of the bloom very much resembles our Hawthorn, 
and it is readily cultivated in a suitable water-tank. In its native 
habitat it appears almost spontaneously at certain seasons when 
the heavy rains collect in shallow places, and here it blooms ^yo- 
fusely, filling the air with a dainty fragrance. With the return of 
the drought it dies away as quickly as it came. 

Aquilegia [Columhine^ Cocksfoot or Culver icort). — A graceful herbaceous 
perennial plant, common in village gardens all over the country, 
and wild in some parts ; there are many vastly improved forms 
that are objects of great beauty ; the whole group possess peculiar 
scented attractions, the variety A. fragrans from Northern India 
being the most powerfully perfumed. The Columbines are all 
inhabitants of the temperate and even the colder regions of the 
Northern Hemisphere, in the nev\^ world as well as the old ; they 
usually prefer woody situations in mountainous countries, although 
some of the more alpine species are also found thriving in the 
crevices of elevated rocks. The Common Columbine, A, vulgaris, 
is found in copses and hedges, and generally is of a blue shade of 
colour, and perfumed like hay. The poet Browne speaks of it in 
all its colours : — 

* So did the maidens with their flowers entwine 
The scented white, the blue, and flesh-like Columbine.' 

Aristolochia odoratissima.— A member of a large family of tropical 
climbing plants with sweet-scented flowers. Native of the West 
Indies. 

Aromadendron elegans. — A Javanese tree of stately proportions, 
bearing highly odoriferous flowers. 

Artabotrys odoratissima. — An Indian climbing shrub with handsome 
dense foliage ; its pale yellow flowers, hidden almost from view 
by the leaves, emit agreeable gusts of perfume, somewhat like that 
of ripe apples. This shrub is very ornamental when covered with 
its suiall golden pear-like fruit. 

Artemisia Abrotanum (Southern-ivood or Old Man), named after the 



SWEET'SMELLIXG PLANTS 



II 



wife of Maiisoliis, king of Caria. A common hardy shrub found in 
old-fashioned cottage gardens, and probably would have gone out 
of cultivation if it had not been cherished there, yet it is easy to 
grow, and no collection of scented things would be complete with- 
out it ; the feathery foliage emits a peculiar fragrance, and is largely 
used in the bouquets of country people, and village decorations, it 
is also extensively emploj^ed for keeping the moth away from 
clothes. When grown in suitable places it bears a small yellow 
flower. A. annua is an annual that gives abundance of elegant, 
graceful, fern-like foliage, for working into bouquets or other 
arrangements of cut flowers. But this is not all, its foliage and 
compact sprays of miniature green buds and blossoms are highly 
fragrant, having the strong, delicate and refreshing odour of the 
Chamomile. This at once makes a most valuable foliage plant for 
cutting, one of the best that can be grown in the garden. 

A. odoratissimiun is an herbaceous variety at all times pleasing 
from the peculiar whitish hue of its foliage, with heads of densely 
crowded milk-white flowers, which difl"use a most delicious fragrance 
for some distance around. 

A. a.hsinthiinn is the common Wormwood found wild in many 
parts, both the flowers and leaves of this variety possess a peculiar 
aromatic scent, somewhat resembling Peppermint. A. vulgaris, 
Maywort, is another species, with fragrant associations, largely 
used in Hindu ceremonies. A. Bracuncuhis is the Tarragon of 
gardens, with peculiarl}^ scented leaves. A. glacialis is powerfully 
aromatic. 

Arum sanctum {BlacJc CaUa).—A scented variety of this elegant 
tribe of liliaceous plants is a native of Palestine, and where, growing 
wild and in considerable numbers, it forms, as may readily be 
understood, a very striking and uncommon feature. In spring it 
produces one large sweet-scented flower rising in a vigorous stalk, 
brown red at the lower part, and green at the top, giving the whole 
plant a stately and elegant appearance. 

Asarum virginicum.— A small American shrubby plant with heart- 
shaped leaves and inconspicuous scented flowers. A. mairanthiim, 
a curious Chinese species, has marbled leaves, which emit a strong 
aromatic odour. 

Asclepias {Swallou: Worf, Jamaica Liquorice), — A genus of shrubby 
perennial plants possessing medicinal virtues, their natural habitat 
is chiefly America, where they are found growing wild in many 
parts of the Central States ; both the Virginian and the tuberous- 
rooted kinds bear highly odoriferous white, orange coloured, or dull 
red flowers, especially powerful towards evening. A, incarnato. 



12 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



with its umbelliferous heads of red brown bloom is much liked by 
bees. A, syriaca, dull purple, is a pretty herbaceous perennial. 

Asperula odorata {Woodruff). — A wild annual plant in many British 
woodlands, that delights in shady nooks, where its insignificant star- 
shaped, pearly white flowers, and vivid green leaves can enjoy 
their attracti\re odours unmolested, in spring. The v/horled posi- 
tion of the leaves of this plant renders it very similar to the 
common cleavers, but its scent sufficiently distinguishes it. It 
does not emit its fragrance while growing ; but, if held in the 
warm hand for a short period it throws out its perfume. The 
scent is very powerful, and will retain its strength for some years, 
imparting sweetness to every object near it. If plenty of sprigs 
are placed in drawers, for years afterwards, when opened, a sweet 
breath of cowslip leas and new-mown hay will give a welcome to 
a feast of reason and a flow of soul. A. azurea setosa is another 
variety, carrying rosy blue flowers that are slightly scented. 

Asphodelus [King's Spears). — A bulbous plant from the South of 
Europe, with an origin traced in fabulous history to that memor- 
able apple which Discord threw into the assembly of gods who 
attended the nuptials of Peleus and Thetis, as a prize for the fairest 
of the Goddesses. The decision, which was in favour of Venus, so 
offended Juno and Minerva, that they endeavoured to break the 
beautiful crook given to the shepherd of Ida, but which was saved 
by its turning into the blossom of a yellow Asphodel, so much 
resembling a royal sceptre. 

The roots were to the Greeks and Romans what the potato now 
is to us, and it was also the belief of the ancients that the flowers 
produced grains that afforded nourishment to the dead. The plant 
is mentioned by Milton as forming part of the nuptial couch of 
Adam and Eve, and Rapin, in his poems on gardens, refers to it as 
an article of food in this strain : — 

' And rising, Asphodel forsakes her bed, 
On whose sweet root our rustic fathers fed.' 

It is a stately plant, quite hardy, producing stout flower-stems 
several feet high, and carrying an abundance of branches full of 
large yellow blossoms. 

' The Asi>hodelus the flowers of the Elysian Fiehls.'— Ruskin. 

Aspidium [Shield Fern). A. fragrans, a scented hardy species. A. 

nevadense, a fragrant greenhouse variety. 
Asplenium fragrans. — A wild fern in North America, the fronds are 

used by local rustics for stuffing beds. 
Asterocephalus atropurpureus.— A plant belonging to a pretty class 



SIVEET-SMELLTNG PLANTS 



13 



that is closely allied to the Sweet Scabious, some are annuals, 
others perennial ; the flowers of this variety are pleasingly fragrant. 

Astragalus glycyphyllus. — A common, hardy, trailing, perennial 
plant of the Vetch tribe, with pale green i3o^^ers, found in sandy 
soils. Its leaves are pleasingly aromatic. 

Ataxia Horsfieldii. — A Javanese Grass which has the peculiarity of 
emitting, when biniised, a similar odour to that given out by Sweet 
Vernal Grass [Anthoxcrathum). 

Atherosperma odoratum. — An Australian tree with aromatic foliage. 

Azalea. — A tribe of flowering shrubby plants from the East and Western 
Hemispheres ; many varieties adorn our hardy borders, others are 
cultivated as ornamental greenhouse plants, the flowers of all are 
abundantly produced, delightfully pretty, and generally highly 
odoriferous, whilst the range of colour is almost endless. The 
hardier kinds, when gi'own out of doors, are objects of great beauty, 
and it is impossible to over-estimate the elegance of these Azaleas 
when in flower in early summer ; and it seems astonishing they 
should be so seldom seen in English gardens. It cannot be from 
the want of varied attractions, for their colours are exquisite, and 
produced in such profusion, that their presence adds a charm to the 
scenery and pour out a delightful fragrance that scents the air for 
some distance around with a delicate honey smell. They thrive 
best in sandy peat soils, but will also grow in ordinary material ; 
they are deciduous, and may be planted out in autumn and winter ; 
being compact in habit, they occupy little space, and are well 
adapted for small gardens ; there are both single and double flower- 
ing kinds that have been brought by skilful hybridisation and care- 
ful selection to a high state of perfection. All are pretty, and should 
be largely cultivated ; they have the further advantage of forcing 
well, and by this means can be brought into bloom at Christmas, a 
season of the year when lovely flowers are in demand. 

The dainty greenhouse kinds, so largely cultivated in Belgium, 
and brought to this country in the early autumn for winter flower- 
ing, do not all possess scented attractions, some few sorts, however, 
are pleasingly fragrant and worthy of cultivation in this respect. 

Azara microphylla. — A Chilian shrub bearing yellow flowers, strongly 
impregnated with a Vanilla fragrance. 

Azarole. -See Crataegus odoratissima. 

' What svreetness is tliis in th.e breath of the air? 

Sure a fragrant flower dwelleth just nigh, 
'Tis the perfume waived o'er from yon phint fair 
That grows where the lily beds lye ! ' 

Babiana. — A bulbous-rooted plant, one of the many beaittiful forms 



14 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



that have come to us from South Africa ; there are several varieties, 
all producing a profusion of brilliant flowers, and many of which 
possess scented attractions, notably B. disticha, with pale purple 
flowers smelling like the Hyacinth ; B. plkata, with pale violet 
flowers and a scent resembling the Clove Carnation ; B. saiiibucina, 
with deep purple flowers that are Elder-scented ; and B. angusti- 
folia, with blue flowers slightly fragrant. The whole group repre- 
sents a lovely race sadly neglected. 

Babingtonia camphorosma. — A greenhouse evergreen from West 
Australia, with a peculiar camphor-like smell. 

Backhousia citriodora [Queensland Myrtle), — An Australian shrub, 
with lemon-scented foliage. 

Baeckia camphorata. — A half-hardy Australian shrub, emitting a 
strong camphoric odour. 

Balaustium pulcherrimum (Australian Myrtle).— A beautiful shrub 
with fragrant leaves. 

Balm. See Melissa. 

Balsamina cornuta [The Hoimed Balsam). — An annual from South- 
Eastern Asia, bearing purple and white flowers ; the leaves of this 
variety are sweet scented, and largely employed in the use of 
washes for the hair. B. vidgaris, Costmary or Alecost, a creeping- 
rooted, hardy perennial from Italy, is also remarkable for the 
strong balsamic odour of its leaves. 

Banisteria. — A beautiful West Indian climber, of extreme elegance in 
character of foliage and fragrance of its pretty yellow flowers. 

Banksia integrifolia. — An Australian shrub with handsome foliage, 
called Honeysuckle by the colonists on account of the large quantity 
of honey the flowers contain. 

Barbadoes Flower Fence. See Poinciana. 

Barosma. — A species of evergreen shrubs from South Africa, the 
leaves, which possess a powerful aromatic smell, are used by the 
natives to perfume themselves with. The Buchu leaves of com- 
merce are produced chiefly from B. crenulata. 

Basil. See Ocimum basilicum. 

Bastard Indigo. See Amorpha microphylla. 

Bauhinia corymbosa. — A Chinese shrub, with rosy white fragrant 
flowers. 

Beaucarnea recurvata. — An Agave-like liliaceous plant from Mexico, 

bearing a multitude of white fragrant flowers. 
Beaumontia grandiflora. — A magnificent Eastern climbing shrub, 

with white trumpet-formed Datura-like flowers that have a delicious 

lily scent. 

Begonia. — A genus of half-hardy herbaceous plants, mostly tuberous- 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



15 



rooted, and originally natives of Central America. Skilful 
hybridisers have done much of late years towards improving the 
flowers of this beautiful class, but attention does not seem to have 
been given to the point of scent, and the few varieties that possess 
this attraction, so far as we know them, are the following : — B. 
odorata, B. siiaveohns, B. fidgens, B. discolor, B. Veitchi, B. Marechal 
Neil, B. fragrant rose, and B. Baumannii ; and as this latter variety 
is being grown in large quantities on the Continent, we shall, no 
doubt, soon find its unique fragrance imparted to the newer kinds 
in the whole class. They are grand subjects for table decoration, 
baskets, and cut flowers. For bedding out, also, they are superb, 
and are now to be found in gardens by thousands. Their brilliant 
flowers have a most telling efi'ect, and neither rain nor sun appears 
to affect them, and they continue blooming till cut off" by frost. 

Bejaria racemosa (Sweet-scented Bejaria). — A tender evergreen shrub 
from the moist regions of Central America. The mauve flowers 
that are borne at the end of the branches somewhat resemble the 
bloom of the Rhododendron, and are very fragrant and handsome. 

Benincasa. — A genus of herbaceous cucurbitaceous tropical climbers, 
with hairy musk-scented leaves, largely grown in the East. 

Berberis {Barherry).— A geim^ of ornamental shrubs, originally from 
the East, with flowers in spring and berries in autumn ; the odour 
of the flowers is pleasant at a distance, being very powerful 
when near. B. vidgaris, a deciduous shrubby plant, with small 
but strongly-scented flowers ; it is very thorny, and useful as a 
hedge plant. B. aquifolia is an elegant evergreen variety, and 
so is B. didcis, which bears sweet fruit in addition to delicious 
flowers ; these varieties are very ornamental in flower-gardens. B. 
Nepalensis is a stately member of the family, with its golden 
blossoms, profusely overlapping the foliage during the early 
months of the year. 

Bergamot. See Monarda didyma. 

Bergera Koenigi. — The Curry leaf tree of India, where the natives 
flavour their curries with its aromatic fragrant leaves. 

Bidens odorata. — A Mexican annual, with white fragrant flowers. 

Bignonia {Trumpet-Floioer). — A genus of elegant climbing plants, in- 
troduced chiefly from Central America, where they form objects of 
great beauty in the tropical forests by their enormous growth and 
clusters of beautiful bloom. Many of the species are delightfully 
perfumed, whilst others are wanting in this attraction. The 
variety Radicans will thrive in this country, but most of them 
require protection from our cold seasons. B. suaveolens and 
B. suberosa are Indian trees with deliciously scented flowers. 



i6 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Billbergia. — A Bromeliad found growing on trees in Central America, 
capable of living without contact with the earth, they are hung on 
balconies in Brazilian gardens, where the beauty and fragrance of 
their flowers is much prized. 

Birdsfoot Trefoil. See Lotus. 

Blephilia. — A genus of the Mint family ; both B. Mrsuta and B. ciliata 

bear the habit and appearance of our garden mints. 
Bletia hyacinthina. See Orchids. 
Blue Bells. See Scilla nutans. 

Blumea. — Asiatic weeds. B. lacera bears yellow flowers smelling 
like turpentine ; B. 'balsamifera, when bruised, smells strongly of 
camphor ; and B. aromatica has a sweet aromatic smell. 

Bokhara clover. See Melilotus. 

Boldoa fragrans. — A small Chilian shrub with evergreen foliage and 
flowers that are highly fragrant. 

Bonnetia paniculata. — A Peruvian shrub or tree, with leaves which, 
when bruised, emit a dainty aromatic smell. 

Boronia. — A genus of shrubby trees from Australia, cultivated here as 
greenhouse plants ; although the flowers are mostly insignificant, 
the whole group have peculiarly scented attractions deposited in 
the leaves. The flowers of B. megastigma are fragrant, and impreg- 
nate the air for a great distance with a ravishing perfume of 
lemon and rose ; so much so, that it is largely grown in South 
Europe for the production of its essences that are extracted from 
the flowers. B. pinnata and B. semdata are popular kinds in our 
greenhouses with fragrant foliage. 

Boswellia serrata. — An Indian tree furnishing the sweet-smelling gum 
known as olihanum, which is supposed to be the Frankincense of the 
ancients, and still used for its grateful perfume in Roman Catholic 
Churches. Every part gives out a lemon-like fragrance. 

Boussingaultia baselloides. — A vigorous tropical climbing plant 
bearing racemes of small white Hawthorn-scented flowers ; propa- 
gated from tubers, which grow like green potatoes at the joints of 
the leaves, and are said to be edible. 

Bouvardia. — This lovely winter flowering plant was introduced to 
cultivation by Baron Humboldt, who found the original form during 
his travels in Mexico ; it used to be treated as a stove plant, but 
hardier varieties have been raised that will stand the cooler 
atmosphere of an ordinary greenhouse. 

The flowers carry a fine and delicate colour, ranging from pure 
white to bright scarlet ; there is also a yellow variety, and most of 
them possess an exquisite Jasmine odour, greatly appreciated in 
bouquets and decorations generally. .: ■ 




Vincent Brooks, Day & Son.. Lith. 



CYCLAMEN. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



17 



Bramble. See Rubus. _ 
Broom. See Cytisus. 

Brugmansia suaveolens. — A grand shrubby tree from the East, pro- 
fuse in radiant liliaceous trumpet-flowers, protruding with their 
delicate whiteness from a rich and downy foliage. Towards evening 
especially, when the shades of night obscure these beauties from 
the eye, their delicious fragrance diffuses through the surrounding- 
atmosphere a perfume of unequalled sweetness. We cultivate it 
in warm greenhouses in this country ; in the tropics it covers 
a large area, and is a splendid sight as an ornamental tree out of 
doors, and its striking beauty, when bearing hundreds of these 
gigantic tubular flowers, cannot be described. 

Brunsfelsia. — Shrubs or small trees from Central America, with hand- 
some fragrant flowers, both blue and white. B. americana bears 
salver-shaped blossoms, with a yellow tube fading to white, very 
odoi'ous when freshly gathered. 

Brunsvigia coranica. — A bulbous plant of the Amaryllis tribe, popu- 
larly' known as the Candelabra flower, on account of the symmetry 
of its heads of bloom : powerfully orange-scented. 

Bubon galbanum. — A South African shrub. Its general distribution 
must have extended in ancient times beyond this region, as it was 
well known to the early Eastern nations as one of the ingredients 
used in the preparation of incense. The substance incorporated is 
a gum taken from the stem of the plant, which very much resembles 
\Yild Parsley in growth. 

Buddlea globosa. — A hardy herbaceous shrub, with pretty heads of 
bloom resembling golden balls ; they are peculiarly scented, and 
altogether this showy plant is worth more extended cultiva- 
tion. 

Bulbine suavis. — A species of half-hardy herbaceous perennial plants 
from South Africa. The flowers are yellow, and arranged on a 
long raceme ; they are likewise highly fragrant, resembling the 
delightful perfimie of Mignonette. 

Burkea Africana.— A Central African shrub or tree, with small white 
fragrant flowers. 

Burlingtonia. See Orchids. 

Buxus sempervirens. — The common garden Box. an edging plant 
found in all old-fashioned gardens, included in our list chiefly on 
account of the balsamic odour its leaves emit when handled. 
Daintily described in the following paragraph : — 

^So they walked over the crackling leaves in the garden, between the 
lines of box, breathing its fragrance of eternity ; for this is one of the 
odours which caiTy us out of time into the abysses of the unbeginning 

B 



i§ AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 

past ; if we ever lived on anotlier ball of stone than this, it must be that 
there was box growing on it.' — Elsie Venner. 

* A sweet flower ! what a charm its beauties tell 
From break of dawn to eve of day, 
In dainty garden or in the wild dell, 
The air seems filled with its scented lay.' 

Cacalia suaveolens. — An herbaceous shrub from Worth America, with 
white flowers that exhale an aromatic odour only when the sun 
shines upon them. 

Caesalpinia paniculata. — A magnificent tropical American climber, 
festooning trees with its dark glossy foliage and gorgeous racemes 
of fragrant orange-blossoms. G. coriaria, a small spreading variety, 
notable for the most delightful aromatic odour diffused by its 
racemes of white flowers. 

Caladium fragrantissimum.— An evergreen variety of this handsome 
class of ornamental tropical bulbous -rooting plants, from British 
Guiana. (7. odoratum is an herbaceous kind from India, also pos- 
sessing scented attractions. 

Calamus aromaticus. — A reedy grass possessing scented attractions 
similar to our Sweet Vernal Grass ; common in the swamps of most 
parts of Europe. The entire plant contains an agreeable aroma. 
It seems to have been known to Pliny, who states that * its sweet 
odour spreads far and wide ' ; and in the time of Theophrastus it 
grew so plentifully in a swampy plain lying at the foot of Mount 
Lebanon that the place was called the aromatic valley. It 
is now largely grown in the fens of England as a commercial 
product. See Acorns. 

Calamintha acinos (Basil Thyme). — An herbaceous shrubby plant 
with violet flowers. The whole plant is fragrant and aromatic, 
and is generally found growing wild in dry soils. There are other 

'I . kinds, including G. glabella, all of which possess a strong odour of 
mint, and in olden times were largely employed in making herb 
tea. 

Callistemon.— A genus of Australian flowering trees or shrubs. G. 

salignus is an extremely handsome species with willow-like foliage, 

the leaves emitting a myrtle-like odour when bruised. 
Calogyne. — A genus of herbaceous plants from Australia and China ; 

the flowers of the Chinese variety are daintily afi'ected with the 

odour of new mown hay. 
Calonyction grandiflorum [Moon Floiver). — A species of Convolvulus, 

of twining habit, with showy pure Avhite fragrant flowers. Native 

of sub-tropical countries. 
Calophyllum Calaba.— A giant West Indian tree that bears short 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



19 



racemes of white sweet-scented flowers. G. Inophyllmn is a native 
of the East, with noble foliage and drooping bunches of white 
scented flowers, and is largely grown in the public gardens of 
India, where its beauty and elegance is much appreciated. 
Calostemma.— A bulbous Australian plant of the Amaryllis tribe. 
C. candidum and G. hiteum are both fragrant, with the odour of 
Mint. 

Calycanthus. — A genus of North American and Japanese shrubs 
bearing handsome flowers that have an aromatic fragrance. G. 
Jforidus or Carolina Allspice is a shrubby plant, both the leaf and 
roots smelling strongly of camphor, and the dusky- coloured flowers 
are very fragrant with a sweet apple scent, or odour of ripe melon. 
It is often met with in British gardens. G. occidentalis is another 
charming variety with maroon flowers ; G. glmicus with purple red 
bloom, also deliciously fragrant. The Japanese Allspice is de- 
scribed under Chimonanthus. 

Calyptranthes aromatica. — A variety of myrtle-like shrubs from 
America, the flower-buds of which are used as a substitute for cloves. 

Calysaccion longifolium. — A handsome Asiatic tree. Its fruit-buds 
are very fragrant, possessing an odour like that of violets and rose- 
water. In India they are greatly valued on this account, and are 
largely collected and sold in the bazaars. 

Camellia. — A well-known genus of beautiful flowering shrubs, chiefly 
from Japan and China, where they form immense bushes, and are 
strikingly ornamental. We cultivate them as greenhouse plants 
for their elegant blooms, which are largely grown for market, as 
well as for decorative purposes on the plants. Unfortunately the 
most beautiful species are inodorous ; some of the class, which in- 
cludes G. sasanqtia, however, have pleasingly fragrant leaves, whilst 
G. drupi/era has scented flowers, which are boiled and used by 
Japanese ladies for washing the hair ; they are also mixed with 
tea to give it a strong odour — beyond this, the whole group is 
scentless. 

Camphire. See Lawsonia inermis. 

Camphora officinarum. — Although hardly a scented plant, the tree 
which furnishes that useful commercial commodity known as 
camphor deserves a place in our list. Camphor is prepared from 
the wood of the tree by boiling the chopped branches in water ; 
wh«n, after some time, it becomes deposited, it is purified by sub- 
limation. A native of the Eastern Archipelago. 

Cananga odorata. — The Ilang-Ilang tree of Burma and Java, bear- 
ing dull yellow flowers, from which the delightful perfume known 
under this name is extracted. 



20 



ajv alphabetical list of 



Canella alba. — A "West-Indiau evergreen tree ; all parts are strongly 
aromatic, the flowers in particular diffusing a delightful per- 
fume. 

Canthium parvifiorum. — A spiny Indian plant, with a white fragrant 

flower, while the leaves are used to flavour curries. 
Caprifolium. See Lonicera. 

Carapa. — A species of tropical trees found in Central America, that 
bear sweet-scented flowers of the purest whiteness. 

Carduus nutans {Jiusk Thistle).— A British species with drooping 
purple flovrers that have a strong odour of musk. 

Carica Papaya {Fapaic Tree). — A native of tropical America, and 
now largely grown in India and other warm parts of the world 
for its fruit, which, together with the bloom of the male plant, 
is sweetly perfumed. 

Carnation. See Dianthus caryophyllus. 

Carpenteria Calif ornica. — A hardy American shrub, bearing clusters 
of large white anemone-shaped scented flowers. 

Caryophyllus aromaticus. — The Clove tree of commerce, a handsome 
evergreen from the Molucca Islands. All parts are aromatic, 
especially the flower- buds ; and the tree is now largely grown in 
many tropical climes. 

Caryopteris mastacanthus, — A hardy Japanese shrub, with rich 
lavender-blue flowers that have a slight aromatic fragrance. The 
foliage when bruised gives out a powerful pungent aromatic odour, 
suggestive of mint. 

Cassia fistulosa. — An Eastern tree with historical associations. We 
are told by Alpinus, when he was in Egypt in the latter part of 
the sixteenth century, that the natives took great delight in walk- 
ing early in the morning, at certain seasons, near plantations of 
this Cassia, regaling themselves with the fragrance of its flowers, 
which are yellow, and borne in racemes similar to the Laburnum. 

Catalpa Ksempferi. — A Japanese shrub of rather slender groAvth, pro- 
ducing large clusters of flowers, yellowish white, dotted with 
purple. The blossoms are very fragrant, and this is considered 
equal to the Linden as a honey-producing tree. After the flowers 
fade they are replaced b}^ clusters of cylindrical seed-pods, a foot 
or more in length, which hang during the whole of the summer and 
winter, p>resenting a most odd and unique appearance, that give 
it the name, in some localities, of the Cigar-tree. C. -speciosa, a 
Korth American species, possesses a delicate odour. 

Cating"a. — A Central American fruiting-tree. C. moscJiafa bears fruit 
buds with a musky flavour, and 0. fragrans has an odour like that 
of Sweet Basil. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



21 



Catostemma. — A Central American tree, with pretty leaves and a 

profusion of fragrant blooms. 
Cattleya. See Orchids. 

Ceanothus triphylia. — An evergreen species of North American shrubs, 

bearing clusters of scented bloom. 
Cedrela odorata. — The sweet-scented Barbadoes Cedar tree. The 

flowers are pale flesh-coloured, and are like those of the Hyacinth ; 

the fruit, bark, and leaves have a peculiar smell, but the wood is 

highly fragrant and agreeable. (7. sinensis, a Chinese species, has 

scented flowers. 

Cedronella. — xV genus of sweet-scented perennial herbs, mostly natives 
of North America. The leaves of G. tripliylla have a powerful, 
pungent, but decidedly pleasant odour. It is only hardy in very 
favoured spots, where the root-stock survives. C. canariensis, with 
deep purple flowers, also has fragrant foliage. See Dracocephalum. 

Cedrus. — The botanical name of the Cedar of Lebanon, an historical 
evergreen tree with glorious associations. Its leaves and wood are 
peculiarly scented. 

Celsia cretica. — A biennial plant from the Southern shores of the 
Mediterranean. Its spikes of soft yellow flowers, with their 
exquisite maroon centre, are chaste and delicate, and they emit a 
delicious perfume much sweeter than that of the common Furze. 

Centaurea moschata {Sweet Sultan). — Common annuals, with powerful 
scented floral attractions. The yellow and purple varieties in par- 
ticular are exquisitely fragrant, and will thrive under fair conditions 
almost anywhere. G. Margaritce is another most beautiful species. 
The plant grows about IJ feet high, bearing large pure white flowers 
of delightful fragrance. Although a biennial, it wdll flower freely 
the same season if the seed is sown early in the year. Very hand- 
some for garden decoration, and particularly valuable for cutting. 

Centranthus ruber {I^ed Valerian). — An old-fashioned British plant 
found growing wild in poor light soils or on stony wastes. It 
bears a profusion of dull red flowers in clusters, and they are 
honey-scented. 

Centroclinium. — Herbiferous Alpine shrubs, natives of the upper 
lands of Central America. G, adpressum and G. reflexiLm have 
rose-coloured flowers that smell strongly like Hawthorn. 

Centrosema grandiflora (Bidtei-Jly Pea).— A. half-hardy perennial 
climber from Central America, of rare and exquisite beauty, which 
blooms early in the summer, and bears in the greatest profusion 
inverted pea-shaped flowers from IJ to 2 J inches in diameter, 
ranging in colour from a rosy violet to a reddish purple, with a 
broad feathered white marking through the centre. The large 



22 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



buds and the back of the flowers are pure white, making it appear 
as if one plant bore many different-coloured flowers at one time. 
The stem and foliage are very graceful, and of a delightful odour, 
and when placed in water remain fresh for many days. 

Ceradia furcata. — A South African low-growing shrub ; the leaves 
and branches exude an oily substance smelling like myrrh when 
walked over, and the scent, which strongly impregnates the air, is 
very powerful in tlie evening. It bears magnificent yellow flowers. 

Cerasus, the botanical name of the family that includes the Cherry. 
Although the varieties common to fruit-gardens have little scented 
attractions, there are one or two of the ornamental kinds that are 
very fragrant, notably G. ^lalialeb, from the shores of the 
Mediterranean, where both the leaves and flowers are largely used 
in perfumery. 

Cereus grandiflora, the night-flowering Cactus, magnificent and 
beautiful. Its blossoms open in the evening, emit a delicious scent 
like vanilla, and by morning are withering aw^ay. During their 
short-lived beauty few flowers can compare with this lovely plant, 
for when open they are nearly a foot in diameter, the inside being 
of a straw yellow, appear like the rays of a bright star ; the out- 
side is chocolate brown. C. serjjentinus is musk-scented. 

Cerinthe minor (Honeyicort). — An amiual, bearing purple, scented 
flowers with a yellow tube ; the honey juice these tubes contain are 
a great attraction to bees. This plant grows wild in the fields of 
South Europe. 

Cestrum nocturnum. — An evergreen Mexican shrub, with scented 
attractions attached to the flowers. C. vesjJertimun is vanilla-scented. 
Champaca. See Michelia Champaca. 

Chamaedorea fragrans. — A tropical American palm with white flowers 
that emit an elegant perfume very like Marechal Neil roses. 

Chailletia. — Tropical shrubby or climbing trees. G. pedunculata bears 
insignificant white, scented flowers. 

Cheilanthes fragrans, or Polypodium fragrans.— A greenhouse fern 
from South Europe, the fronds of which when handled emit a 
pleasant perfume resembling new-mown hay, which they retain a 
long time after being gathered. G. suaveolens and G. odora, from 
the island of Madeira, possess similar attractions. 

Cheiranthus Cheiri (Wallflower),— A perennial flowering plant with 
delicately fragrant flowers. 

' The yellow Wallflower, stained with iron brown ; 
That scents the garden far around.' — Thomson. 

It is the flower with which romance-writers embellish their stories 
relating to ruins and desolate places. From the fact that Wall- 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



23 



flowers grew upon old walls, and were seen on the casements and 
battlements of ancient castles and among the remains of abbeys, the 
minstrels and troubadours were accustomed to wear a bouquet of 
these flowers as the emblem of an affection which is proof against 
time and misfortune : 

' Who loves iny flower— the sweetest flower 
Thro^ra rudely o'er the ruined tower, 
Will she her fragrant soul exhale 
Unheeded on the lonely wall ? ' — Laxghorne. 

The common Wallflower is a native of Southern Europe, and was 
well known in the time of the Greeks ; its scented attractions have 
through all succeeding ages rendered it a favourite, and in whatever 
way we may take it, we possess but few flowers that adapt them- 
selves so readily to almost any situation in the garden, and throw out 
their fragrance at almost all seasons. Lord Bacon observes ' that 
they are very delightful when planted under the parlour window, 
from whence their fragrance is felt throughout the dwelling-house. 

' By the roofless tower, 

Where the wallflower scents the air.' — Burns. 

The traditional origin of the flower would almost indicate the 
origin of the names of 'Bloody Warriors' and of 'Bloody Walls.' 
To give the legend at length would occupy too much space ; a 
resume of it may be of interest : — 

* The sweetness of the sweet Wallflower 
Breathed from a cleft in the ruined tower.'— Flora. 

In an ancient castle in the south of Scotland a fair maiden was kept 
a prisoner, having given her heart to the young heir of a hostile 
clan ; and, as blood had been shed between the chiefs on both 
sides, the deadly hatred of those blood-stained days forbade all 
hope of a union. At length, after various stratagems, gaining 
admission as a wandering troubadour, it was arranged that the 
maiden should make her escape, the knight to await her arrival 
with horses and a retinue. Herrick gives the following lines as a 
sad conclusion of the legend : — 

' Up she got upon a wall. 
Attempted down to slide withal. 
But the silken t^\ist untied ; 
She fell, and bruised and there she died. 
Love, in pity to the deed, 
And her loving luckless speed, 
Turn'd her to this plant we call 
The scented flower upon the wall.' 

Fields of Wallflower which are largely grown for cutting for the 



24 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



London markets are grateful alike to sight and smell, and the rich 
fragrance the flowers dispense fill the air with sweetness. In its 
wild state the flowers are always single and of a bright yellow 
colour, but cultivation has done wonders with it, and in the present 
day we are in possession of varieties of various shades, pale yellow 
to gold, and bright chestnut to deep maroon. The double alpine 
varieties are very fragrant, and exceedingly useful in borders and 
rockeries. The habit of the wallflower is almost perfect — dwarf, 
bushy, and compact. 
Cherry Pie. See Heliotropum. 

Chimaphila. — A genus of shrubby evergreen plants, natives of the 
cooler parts of the Northern hemispliere, bearing handsome bell- 
shaped flowers, generally white and very sweet-scented. 

Chimonanthus fragrans {Winter Sweet, or Chinese Snowdrop Tree). — 
Closely allied to the Calycanthus. This is one of the most charming 
hardy winter-flowering shrubs it is possible to have, blossoming as it 
does in almost any aspect but the north. It is also excellent as a 
cut flower, for a bunch of its budding twigs placed in water will 
last a long time, and emit a delightful fragrance at a time of year 
when the floral world seems wrapt in slumber, for it flowers in the 
depth of winter before the leaves appear, like the naked Jessamine. 
The perfume emitted from the somewhat insignificant blooms is 
exceedingly powerful but pleasing. 

Chionanthus retusus. — An American deciduous shrub bearing clusters 
of white starry flowers, delicately perfumed. 

Chlidanthus fragrans. — A South American bulbous plant that bears 
yellow fragrant tubular flowers. Also called Pancratium luteinn. 

Chloranthus inconspicuus. — A Chinese shrub, with fragrant flowers 
that are dried and largely employed in scenting the more ex- 
pensive perfumed Teas. C. officinalis, from Java, is strongly 
aromatic. 

Choisya ternata (American Orange Floioer). — A handsome shrub from 
Mexico ; the flowers are pure white and star-shaped, very freely 
produced, and emit a pleasing but not too powerful odour, strongly 
resembling the Hawthorn. 

Chonemorpha macrophylla, an Indian climber with white fragrant 
flowers. 

Chroolepis, a mossy plant found growing on damp walls, bark of old 
trees, etc., when fresh it emits a scent like that of violets ; also 
known as Sweet-scented Byssus. 

Chrysanthemum [Queen of the Autumn). — Although this charming 
genus of flowering plants, mostly from Japan, is rarely met with 
possessing scented attractions in their dainty blooms, the foliage 




^; Looks, Day & Son^ Lith. 



1 



/ 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



25 



of many species emits a peculiar aromatic smell when bruised or 
passed through the hand, and also imparts a pleasing fragrance 
to the atmosphere of the greenhouse in which the plants are 
standing ; beyond this it seems a great pity such a charming class 
should be practically destitute of a sweet scent. 

^ Yet in spite of the skill of Chrysanthemum growers, there are two 
things that they cannot do. One is to raise a blue flower. Tradition says 
that blue Chrysanthemums are raised and jealously guarded in some 
secluded Buddhist monasteries in Japan ; but no stranger is allowed to 
look upon them, nor will the priests permit them to be propagated in any 
way beyond what is necessary for keeping up their stock. Pictures of 
blue Chrysanthemums are frequently seen on Japanese pottery, but 
whether the potters have painted from nature or from their own imagina 
tions no one can tell. In spite of the most diligent search no European 
has been able to come across the blue flower, and many of our most 
experienced growers openly scofl' at the idea of its existing as ridiculous. 
The blue Chrysanthemum, they declare, is as impossible as the blue Eose. 
The other thing growers have not yet been able to do is to obtain really 
sweet-scented varieties. Not very long ago a French exhibitor declared 
that he had overcome this latter difficulty, and he had on view a number of 
plants whose blossoms emitted a delightful odour. At first every one was 
delighted, but soon suspicions were aroused, and on examination it was 
found that the smell had been obtained by letting a few drops of scent fall 
on each flower. ' 

Cinchona. — An evergreen forest tree from South America, now largely 
grown for the production of what is known commercially as Peru- 
vian Bark ; the flowers are of a pinkish white, and very fragrant. 

Cineraria lanata. — An herbaceous variety of this popular flowering 
plant from the Canary Isles, bearing white and red flowers, that 
possess a dainty violet fragrance. 

Cinna arundinacea. — A grass with hay-scented foliage. 

Cinnamon Vine. 8et Dioscorea batatta. 

Cinnamomum Cassia. — An Indian tree which yields the Cinnamon of 
commerce. G. Zeylanicum, also an Eastern tree, bears flowers 
smelling like the rose. 

Cinnamosa. — A small tree from Madagascar with aromatic leaves, 
belonging to the Magnolia family. 

Cistus {Rock Rose). — Flowering shrubs peculiar for the balsamic odour 
given oflf by the leaves when bruised. C. ladaniferus is a variety 
deserving of extending culture, its foliage when rubbed against 
gives oflp a rich fragrance. Before the dew has dispersed in the early 
morning is the best time to enjoy the delicate aroma dispensed by 
this dainty plant. Xative of South Europe. 



26 



ajv alphabetical list of 



Citharexylum subserratum.— A large handsome shrub from tropical 
America, bearing drooping racemes of milk-Tvhite fragrant flowers. 

Citriosma. — South American shrubby trees, the leaves of which secrete 
an oily substance of a strong Citron odour. 

Citrus. — An extensive genus of ornamental and useful evergreen trees, 
which embrace the Orange, Lemon, Lime, Citron, Shaddock, etc. 
The Orange {C. aurantium) is supposed to be indigenous to Asia, 
and its fruit to be the golden apples which the daughter of Hesperus 
caused to be so strictly guarded by a dragon. The flowers of the 
whole family are deliciously fragrant, and the fruit of all are well 
kno^Ti ; they are largely grown in the warmer parts of the tem- 
perate, and also in tropical climates, where their beauty is a great 
attraction. Extensive orchards of Oranges have formed the prin- 
cipal source of revenue in many Spanish provinces for generations, 
and some of these groves still carry trees stated to be six or seven 
hundred years old, that bear an abundance of flowers which fill the 
air with their perfume for miles round, and this delightful fertility 
and fragrance extends more often along the coast line of the Medi- 
terranean until we come to the shores of the Adriatic. Some 
plants have a more powerful odour, but there is a freshness in the 
aroma of an Orange grove that is superb, and as the tree is at the 
same time in all stages of its bearing — in flower and in fruit, it 
is hardly possible to imagine any object more beautiful. 

The perfumes of Arabia do not exceed the fragrance of these groves 
along the northern coast of the Mediterranean, in which countless 
other flowers blend their sweets with that of the Orange ; and it is 
pleasing to know that this most delightful group of scented flower- 
ing trees are now very widely grown as a commercial commodity, 
whilst in all our leading establishments they are cultivated under 
glass, planted out as shrubs or to cover walls in conservatories, or 
otherwise add charm to the surroundings of a daintily-furnished 
garden. C, Limonum, the Lemon of commerce, is a sweetly-scented 
variety. C. Limetta is the Lime fruit of the AVest Indies. It is a 
thorny evergreen tree, the leaves being very fragrant, whilst the 
flowers are powerfully perfumed. 

Like all familiar customs whose origin is lost in antiquity, the 
wearing of Orange blossoms at a wedding is accounted for in vari- 
ous ways. Among other stories is the following pretty legend from 
Spain : — 

An African prince presented a Spanish king with a magnificent 
orange tree, whose creamy, waxy blossoms and wonderful fragrance 
excited the admiration of the whole court. Many begged in vain 
for a branch of the plant, but a foreign ambassador was tormented 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



27 



by the desire to introduce so great a curiosity to his native land. 
He used every possible means, fair or foul, to accomplish his pur- 
pose, but all his efforts coming to naught, he gave up in despair. 

The fair daughter of the court gardener was loved by a young 
artisan, but lacked the dot which the family considered necessary 
in a bride. One day, chancing 'to break off a spray of Orange 
blossoms, the gardener thoughtlessly gave it to his daughter. 

Seeing the coveted prize in the girl's hair, the wily ambassador 
offered her a sum sufficient for the desired dowry, provided she 
give him the branch and say nothing about it. Her marriage was 
soon celebrated, and on her way to the altar, in graceful remem- 
brance of the source of all her happiness, she secretly broke off 
another piece of the lucky tree to adorn her hair. 

Whether the poor court gardener lost his head in consequence of 
the daughter's treachery the legend does not state, but many lands 
now know the wonderful tree, and ever since that wedding day 
Orange blossoms have been considered a fitting adornment for a bride. 

All the tribe take some years to reach maturity, and require the 
experience of an expert to grow them properly in the British climate. 

' Odour of Orange flower and spice 
Reached tliem from to time, 
Like airs that breathe from Paradise, 
Ui)on a world of crime.' — Longfellow. 

Clausena heptaphylla. — A small shrub, the leaves of which when 
bruised emit a most agreeable fragrance, like that of anise-seed. 

Clematis. — A popular and highly ornamental genus of deciduous 
climbing or shrubby plants, that produce a large quantity of 
beautiful flowers, elegant alike in form and colour. It is unfor- 
tunate so few of them possess scented attractions. The favourite 
species in this respect is the variety flammiila, better known as 
Traveller's Joy, Old Man's Beard, and Virgin's Bower. 

This sweet-scented Clematis, with flowers embroidered like pale 
stars over the whole plant in summer, is the very type of elegance 
and grace, with a perfume which is the most spiritual, impalpable, 
and yet far-spreading, of all vegetable odours— a perpetual pearl of 
simplicity intermingled with fragrance. In spite of these delight- 
ful scented attractions, none of our poets appear to have noticed it 
from this point, although Bishop Mant may have intended to record 
its beauties in this direction when he says : — 

' The Traveller's Joy, 
Most dainty when its flowers assume 
Their antnmn form of feathery plume.' 

C. campanijlora, the Bell-flower Clematis, is a Portuguese variety, 



28 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



with pale blue flowers, that are delicately scented ; G. graveolenSy 
from Persia, with pale yellow flowers ; C. triloba, a native of India, 
with dainty-smelling white flowers ; G. paniculata, from Japan, 
with pure white flowers, borne in immense sheets, and of a most 
penetrating fra;grance ; G. montana is an Indian climbing variety, 
bearing flowing wreaths of snow-white blossoms, dispensing a 
delightful perfume. G. aristata is an Australian climbing 
species, commonly known there as the wedding flower. It 
rapidly covers arbours, and bears a pale yellow, deliciously scented, 
star-like bloom. The Gardener'^ s Ghronicle says: — ''Of the 
English hybridised varieties, G. Fair Rosamond, G. Edith Jachnan, 
G. Maideii's Blush, G. The Queen, G. Duchess of EdAnburgh, G. 
Stella, and G. Vesta, are remarkable for their strong and agreeable 
fragrance— something intermediate between Violets and Primroses 
— which they exhale when in a warm, sunny atmosphere, and 
which is most pronounced in Fair Rosamond. It is found also that 
the odour varies ; in the cases of Fair Rosamond, Edith Jackman, 
and Maiden's Blush, the perfume is that of the Violet ; in the cases 
- of the Queen, Stella, and Vesta, that of the Primrose. It is supposed 
that the quality of fragrance was originally derived from G. For- 
tunei ; the flowers of this double form, introduced from Japan, have 
a slight and agreeable fragrance, like that of the Orange blossom. 

'' In reference to the culture of these fragrant Clematises, it should 
be borne in mind that as they partake of the character of G. patens, 
they bloom early on the ripened wood of the previous year, and 
not like G. Jackmanni and its allies, on the young wood of the cur- 
rent year ; therefore pruning is of the first importance, and it 
should consist in cutting away the whole wood which has borne 
flowers in the previous spring, and weak, straggling, and over- 
crowded growths." G. crispa (American Blue Bells), is distinct and 
beautiful, with pretty bell-shaped flowers, borne in great profusion 
from June till frost, and petals well reflexed. To add to the 
charm of novelty and colour, the flowers emit a delightful Bergamot 
fragrance ; it is a strong vigorous climber, attaining readily in good 
situations a height of ten to twelve feet. G. Davidiana, a Japanese 
introduction, as an upright shrubby habit, from two to four feet 
high, with fresh foliage : the flowers circle and cluster in the 
greatest profusion around each whorl of leaves, making several 
tiers extending one above the other from near the ground to the 
top of the foliage. The flowers are long, tubular, bell-shaped : of 
perfect form, and distinct, deep lavender colour, with the delicious 
fragrance of lemon and spice. 
Clerodendron. — A genus of beautiful flowering plants, embracing many 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



29 



species, including C. fragrans, a common garden plant in China, 
and one that is but seldom found in cultivation in England. It 
deserves more favour than it receives, if only on account of the 
delicious fragrance of its flowers, which are white, doulole in the 
cultivated form, resembling the bloom of double Hawthorn, and 
borne in large clusters like fairy roses. It grows very rapidly in a 
warm greenhouse, and when planted out soon covers a large space 
if allowed to do so. G. trichotomum, likewise from the East, is one 
of the most valuable additions to our shrub list that has been made 
for a very long time. It is of thick bushy habit, with bold dark 
green leaves, and purplish white flowers, that are deliciously 
fragrant, the leaves also possessing a strong odour. That it is quite 
hardy in England has been conclusively proved in several widely 
different parts of the country, and where it has formed nice bushy 
specimens, and flowered well from year to year. G. odoratum, 
with pale blue flowers. G. phlomoides, with yellowish-white bloom, 
and G. acideatum, are both daintily scented, whilst G. inerme has 
sweet-smelling leaves. 
Clethra alnifolia {Sweet Bush). — A hardy flowering shrub from the 
United States, dense growing, with dark green leaves, and up- 
right feathery spikes of creamy-white flowers, intensely fragrant, 
and continuing in bloom a long time, the foliage when bruised also 
emits a peculiar odour. G. arhorea, another fine variety, popularly 
known as Lily of the Valley tree, the blooms being suggestive of 
this flower in form and fragrance. G. acuminata bears drooping 
scented flowers. 

Cleyera, — An Asiatic evergreen bush, bearing white or yellow sweet- 
scented flowers. 

Clintonia uniflora. — A liliaceous plant from California, with white 
fragant flowers. 

Clusia odorata. — A shrubby plant from Central America ; grown with 
us as a stove evergreen ; the flowers possess a pleasant odour. 

Coleus aromaticus. — A violet-flowered variety from India, with pecu- 
liarly scented foliage ; beyond this feature the leaves do not carry 
that beautiful range of colours by which we best know the 
genus. 

CoUania dulcis. — A greenhouse perennial from Persia, bearing clusters 
of flowers on an upright stem, cream-coloured and scented, fol- 
lowed by sweet fruit, which is eagerly sought after by the 
natives. 

Colocasia odorata. — An Eastern herbivorous plant of the Arum 
tribe, of noble aspect. The fragrance of the pale greenish -yellow 
flowers of this species, which resembles Mignonette, renders it 



30 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



very desirable to cultivate, as they fill the air with a delightful 
odour. 

' The diffused odour, as it pervades the entire atmosphere of a hothouse, 
resembles that of Mignonette ; but the more powerful and concentrated 
fragrance is of that of the sweet aromatic nature of that of some orchids.' 
— Journal of Horticulture. 

Coltsfoot. 8ee Tussilago fragrans. 

Comptonia asplenifolia. — A deciduous bushy shrub of the Myrtle 
family from North America, where it is known as the Sweet Fern 
Bush. Its leaves are long and narrow with peculiar rounded lobes, 
and they very much resemble those of the Ceterach Fern, hence its 
name Sweet Fern Bush. When touched it gives off a rich spicy 
fragrance. Attractive in leafage as well as fragrant, it is a shrub 
worthy of more notice and attention, and looks well in a small 
group near the margin of shrub plantations. 

Conocephalus Roxburghii. — An Eastern shrub, with small white 
sweet-scented flowers. 

Conoclinium coelestinum. — A common plant in waste places through- 
out the United States, with blue tubular flowers, possessing a 
fragrant odour. 

Convallaria majalis {Lily of the Valley). — Who does not know this 
pure emblem of innocence and modesty ? It is one of old England's 
native gems, and the happy spring season of the year produces no 
plant more elegant or exquisite in fragrance than these graceful 
spikes of perfumed bells of lily whiteness. See Illustration. 

This elegantly modest plant formerly grew in our woods and valleys 
in great abundance, but it has now become rare in its natural 
state. Gerard tells us that in his time (1600) it grew plentifully on 
Hampstead Heath, on Bushy Heath, and at Lee, in Kent ; it forms 
a desirable plant along the shady banks of lakes and ornamental 
streams, where the breath of its powerful fragrance, distributed 
over a considerable area, is almost oppressing, although the odour 
is said to be a certain antidote for the headache. Few flowers are 
more striking in tall vases, and the tiny tubes, mounted singly or 
in threes, give chaste variety in bouquets that puzzle many, and 
gratify every one. There are several varieties, the double and 
single white-flowered, the double and single red-flowered, the pink 
flowered ; none of these, how^ever, carries the delightful scent so 
strongly as the common kind ; all are entitled to a place in the 
more secluded spots of our gardens, and amongst the shrubs of 
woodland walks. The whole group prefer a light sandy soil. They 
are increased by parting the roots in autumn, and should only be 
disturbed every third year. If confined in pots they will sometimes 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



31 



produce a pretty red l3erry, the seed in which will readily ger- 
minate. This chaste and beautiful flower could not fail to attract 
the notice of our poets — 

' Sweet flower of the valley, ^\ath blossoms like snow 
Sweet Lily ! thy loveliness is urLique, I trow.' 

j3arton thus daintily sings its praises : — 

' The Lily of the Yale, whose virgin flowers 
Scent every breeze beneath its leafy bowerfe.' 

Keats, revelling to his heart's delight, immortalised it in the 
strongest terms : — 

' No flower amid the garden fairer grows 
Than the sweet Lily of the lovely vale, 
The queen of flowers.' 

' Sweet May Lilies richest odours shed 

Down in the valley's shady bed.' — Scott. 

' Where, scattered wild, the Lily of the Vale 
Its balmy essences prevail.' — Thomson. 

' The Lily of the Vale, 
That loves the ground, and from the sun withholds 
Her pensive beauty, from the breeze her sweets.' — Wordsworth. 

' Dainty white Lily, 
Dressed like a bride, 
Shining with whiteness, 
And scented beside,' — Anox. 

Convolvulus. — Among our common flowers there are many to be found 
growing in the meadows which difiuse a gentle fragrance most 
gratifying to the sense. The most frequent is the field Convolvulus, 
ordinarily called 'Bindweed.' Its sweet-scented blossoms, whose 
smell resembles that of the Almond, are striped with white and rose 
colours, and with its leaves of a delicate green, trail along the 
meadow, or around the trunks of trees, and sometimes support 
themselves by clinging to the corn. The fragrance of these flowers 
may be enjoyed by all during the summer and autumnal months, 
with the many others to be found in every spot where the grass is 
growing and the wild-flowers buddiug. Other dainty kinds will be 
found under Ix)omrea. 

Conyza camphorata. — A hardy herbaceous shrub, giving off" a strong 
smell of Camphor. Closely allied to our common Fleabane. 

Cooperia Drummondii {Evening Star Floicer). — A bulbous Central 
American plant, that opens its long tubular and fragrant Primrose- 
scented flowers during the evening. G. pedunculatco is another 
scented variety that is night-blooming. 



32 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



' The nocturnal flowering of tliis plant is an anomaly in the order, and the 
more remarkable because its nearest kin, the Zeijliyranthes, requires a 
powerful sun to make it expand. The flower is fragrant, smelling like a 
primrose. Appears to flower successively, from the earliest spring till 
September." ' — Herlert. 

Cornflag. See Gladiolus. 

Coronilla. — A half-hardy ornamental shrubby perennial, sometimes 
annual, chiefly from Central Europe. C. glauca is a variety bearing 
clusters of yellow fragrant flowers through the summer, whilst 
under glass, if trained against a wall, it will remain in flower the 
best part of the year. The silvery-haired variety, C. argentea, is 
equally as dainty. 

Correa {Australian Fuchsia). — A flowering shrub. There are several 
species, all peculiarly scented in leaf and flower. 

Corylopsis spicata. — A Japanese shrub, bearing pendulous racemes of 
yellow cowslip-scented flowers, that appear before the leaves in 
spring. C. pauciflora is similarly attractive. 

Corypha umbraculifera (Fan Palm). — A native of the East Indies ; 
giant in form, and bearing lovely yellow blossoms, so powerfully 
scented, that it is necessary to cut them away when near dwelling- 
houses. 

Cotula Cunninghami (Sneeze iveed). — A West Australian odorous 
herb. 

Cowslip. See Primula. 
Crassula. See Kalosanthes. 

Crataegus oxycantha (Haictlwrn, May Blossoin). —There are many 
varieties of this beautiful family of shrubby trees distributed 
throughout the world, and all of them are so ornamental and 
highly odoriferous, that wherever their introduction is practic- 
able, it is strongly recommended. The beauty of their myrtle-like 
blossoms, their exquisite fragrance, and the successive profusion of 
delicately tinted fruit, give them more than ordinary charms. The 
luxuriant Balms of Asia give no more grateful perfume than this 
sweet-flowering shrub presents, nor does the garland of Flora 
possess a more simple yet charming blossom than that put forth by 
this British hedge beauty. It is said that Hawthorn flow^ers not 
only regale the spirits by their spicy odour, but that they possess 
the power of attracting and destroying other perfumes. 

Few trees are more attractive than the sweet May of our English 
hedgerows, and it not only delights our senses with its beauty and 
perfume, but afl"ords a cooling shade in sunny fields, under which 
its fragrance is diff'used in the pure country air. 

May- day in the rural parts of England is still a lovely and a 




inceut Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



DAPHNE. 



i 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



33 



merry one, through the most picturesque and romantic of its 
ancient observances, in which the dainty flowers of this plant takes 
a leading part. One can readily imagine what a gay scene old 
London must have been when the doors were decked with Hawthorn, 
and Robin Hood, Friar Tuck, Maid Marian, and all the other 
fantastic dancers were performing their antics round the May-pole, 
or when all the young men and maidens were off by sunrise to the 
fields to wash their faces in the dew and gather the May. Every 
rural custom which tends to infuse poetical feeling amongst the 
country lads and lasses, to sweeten and soften unpolished rustic 
manners without destroying their simplicity, is worthy of encour- 
agement. 

The scent of the May blossom is proverbially sweet, and poets 
have much to say in its praise ; poor Keats, who was passionately 
fond of the flower, addresses it thus : — 

' So I straightway went to pick a posy 
Of liixurious May both white and rosy.' 

' A bush of May bloom with bees about them. 
Ah, sure no tasteful nook could be without them.' 

The Hawthorn was amongst Burns's floral pets, as his favourite 
flower of spring ; in his farewell to Highland Mary, he thus exclaims : 

* How rich the Hawthorn's blossom ! ' 

Again, in one of his happiest moments he sings : — 

' 'Tis when a youthful, modest pair 
In others arms breathe out the tender tale 
Beneath the milk-white Thorn that scents the evening gale.' 

There are many varieties, single and double blossom, ranging from 
white and scarlet in colour, and all are well adapted as single 
specimens on lawns. 
Crinum. — A genus of handsome, bulbous sub-tropical plants, chiefly 
from South Africa, many varieties of which bear quantities of de- 
lightfullj^ scented flowers. C, Moorti is remarkable for its exquisite 
purity and delicate rich fragrance, and there are many other sorts 
that are pleasingly refreshing in the spicy odours they emit. 
C amdbile, from Sumatra, is one of the most magnificent. Those 
who have never seen this giant in flower, can hardly imagine 
what Crinums are like at their best. G. cajjense, C. scahrumy very 
fragrant at night. G. hrevifolium, G. longifolium, useful for 
bouquets or for decorating rooms, as its flowers will impart a 
dainty odour for several days. G. Americanuniy G. lorifolium, 
(7. Sumatranum, G. latifolium^ G. superliLin, G. amoemuiif G. angus- 

C 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



tarn, all sweetly fragrant. None of the group are hardy, but can 
readily be cultivated under glass from bulbs, obtainable through 
any of the large nurserymen. 

Crocus. — The most popular varieties of this charming early spring- 
flowering bulbous plant have little or no scent, a few of the lesser 
known sorts, however, are fragrant, notably, G. versicolor, which 
has a strong smell of Violets. G. suaveoUns is known as the fragrant 
Crocus. G, imperati, white and purple ; G. odorus and G. sativus, 
autumn-flowering. The Saffron Crocus, G. colchicum, was held in 
high esteem by ancient Eastern nations. Horace informs us that 
its blooms were largely employed to strew throughout saloons and 
theatres, where a pleasant fragrance was desirable, tinctures of 
various kinds were compounded, scented with its odour, this w^as 
poured into fountains, and the costly and cherished perfume was 
dispersed amongst the guests. 

Crossostephium artemisioides. — A curious shrub, remarkable for the 
strong balsamic odour of its leaves. A native of sub-tropical 
countries. 

Crucianella molluginoides. — A pretty perennial trailing plant from 
Persia, with umbels of pink flowers that emit an agreeable 
fragrance. G. stylosa and G. suaveolens, with yellow flowers, come 
from Russia. 

Cunila mariana. — A member'of the family Labiatce, known in North 
America as the Common Dittany. Gray mentions that it is found 
on dry hills south of New York and westward. The plant is about 
a foot high, bushy in habit, producing small tubular lilac flowers 
in profusion. The leaves are ovate, and the whole plant has an 
aromatic odour. 

Cuphea lanceolata. — A Mexican annual, the whole plant possessing 
a powerful fragrance. 

Cupia. — Indian shrubs bearing scented flowers. G. scandens, G. 
triincata, and G. cymosa are all pleasant in this respect. 

Cupressus. — Evergreen trees mostly from California, very ornamental 
in grow^th, and with foliage that has a peculiar balsamic odour. 

Curcuma. — A genus of East Indian herbaceous plants, with gorgeously 
coloured flowers, many of which possess scented attractions. The 
leaves of G. Zerunihet are very fragrant when bruised. G. Zedoarla 
and G, rubescens also carry a delightful aromatic fragrance. 

Cuscuta odorata. — A parasitical plant, belonging to a family that is 
common in all climes ; this variety is the only one that appears to 
possess scented attractions. The seeds lie dormant in the ground 
until a crop is put on the land congenial to their taste, when they 
germinate, and throwing their thread-like tendrils in every direction, 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



35 



these cletacli themselves from the earth and live upon the plants 
they encircle. Clover is a plant to which it is very partial. Its 
white flowers are produced in compact clusters. G. epithymiim, a 
tropical variety that clothes Indian shrubs with a web like golden 
cord is studded with sweet-scented blossoms. (7. verrucosa, another 
Eastern species bearing white bell-shaped flowers, smelling strongly 
of violets and cowslips mixed. 
Cyanella odorata. — A bulbous plant from South Africa, bearing red 
fragrant flowers. 

Cyclamen. — A genus of delightfully attractive bulbous plants, mostly 
from the Alps and other mountainous districts of Southern Europe ; 
careful selection and hybridisation has produced some beautiful 
forms that are marvels of beauty when in full bloom ; many species 
are powerfully scented, notably (7. persicum, the kind generally 
cultivated for decorating conservatories. The whole group can 
be readily grown from seed, or if a quick return is desired it is best 
to purchase bulbs. This lovely plant is strongly recommended to 
all who desire beautiful and elegant bloom at a season of the year 
when scented flowers are scarce. See Illustration. 

Cyclopia genistoides. — A South African shrub with pretty yellow 
flowers. It is commonly known as Bush Tea, and has an agree- 
able tea-like smell. 

Cycncches chlorochilum. See Orchids. . 

Cymbidium sinense. See Orchids. 

Cynoglossum suaveolens. — An Australian species of the common 

Hound's-tongue, possessing a delicious odour. 
Cyperus. — A genus of plants of the Sedge famil}^, widely distributed 

over the warmer parts of the globe. G. longus, a British species, is 

said to possess the odour of violets in its joints, whilst G. rotAindiis 

and G, scariosus, both Indian kinds, are largely employed in the 

manipulation of Eastern perfumes. 
Cyrtanthus odorus. — A bulbous and herbivorous South African plant, 

bearing pendulous crimson fragrant flowers. G. M^Kenii is also 

sweet-scented. 

Cytisus. — One of the most beautiful hardy native shrubby plants is 
G. scox)arius, known under the popular name of Broom, it is 
common to all who visit our heaths and copses ; the genus is 
widely distributed throughout Europe, and many beautiful hybrid 
species owe their presence to the undertakings of expert gardeners, 
w^ho have intermingled the beauties of one kind with the attractive 
features of another. The elegant bloom of this dainty variety is 
golden yellow in colour, and slightly scented with an odour re- 
sembling honey. The Spanish Broom^ G. albus, is an elegant 



36 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



white flowering variety. Other generic names under which this 
genus is known are Genista, S2^artium, Teline. The golden-flowered 
greenhouse Cytisus is an ornamental shrub closely allied to the 
common Broom ; there are several varieties, most of which carry a 
profusion of yellow pea-like flowers that are agreeably fragrant. 
One plant, when in full flower, will impart a dainty perfume 
throughout the conservatory, and the flowers likewise are useful 
for vases. See Illustration. 

' Far dearer to me are yon linmble Broom bowers 

Where the Bine -bell and Gowan Inrk lowly nnseen ; 
For there, lightly tripping among the sweet flowers, 
A-list'nmg the linnet, oft wanders my Jean.' — Burns. 

Dactylanthus Taylori. — A wonderfully curious parasitical plant from 
New Zealand bearing white sweet-scented flowers, with an odour 
somewhat like that of a full-flavoured Melon. 

Daffodil. See Narcissus. 

Daphne. — A genus of beautiful flowering shrubs, named after the 
nymph beloved of Apollo, many of which are quite hardy : the whole 
class possess elegant scented attractions and are deserving of the 
most extended cultivation, both under glass and in the garden 
border, whilst few flowers are more useful for the vase or bouquet. 
D. viezereiun, probably the best known of the group, is a handsome 
European shrub, with deliciously fragrant star-shaped flo^^'ers, that 
range in colour from pure white to dark pink, and appear before 
the leaves in early spring ; they are formed in clusters all round 
the growth of the previous season. This variety used to be found 
as a wiklling in many of our woods ; not only has it been lost in its 
natural habitat, but it is now unhappily only very sparingly grown 
even in gardens, where its perfume will fill the air to a considerable 
distance with a refreshing odour. 

D. cneorum is almost a perpetual bloomer, and generally retains 
its foliage through the winter ; the flowers are of a pink colour and 
very fragrant. D. genJ:u:a, a deciduous kind, producing lilac 
blossoms before the leaves come out. D. 2^ontica, D. ahrina, D. 
indica, D. Fortiini, D. jajjonica, and D. odo-ra are varieties that 
are each modestly beautiful and delightfully fragrant. A scarce 
and very choice Alpine variety is D. Blagayana, with tubular 
yellowish white flowers, powerfully sweet-scented, and filling the 
air with a spicy odour. See Illuatrcdion. 

'Sweet flowers of love, they sing inspired lays 
By throwing ont their beanty in Spring's early days.' — Axox. 

Dalbergia latlifolia (Indian Bosewood). — A species of Eastern tropical 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



37 



forest tree with scented wood, largely used for commercial pur- 
poses ; it bears a profusion of greenish-white flowers, the fine 
fragrance of which perfumes the air in the evening. 
Datura (Thorn Ajjjjle, Stramonium). — A handsome class of soft- 
wooded flowering shrubs, mostly natives of semi-tropical climates. 
They will grow to the height of 5 or 6 feet in a season, and 
produce, amidst a mass of elegant foliage, large and fragrant 
trumpet-shaped flowers, from 6 to 12 inches in length and propor- 
tionately thick. The colours are various, and the flowers both single 
and double. Others open their blossom in the evening only. The 
whole group form noble objects if planted out in suitable situations 
in the early summer. They are mostly annuals, and their beauty 
disappears as soon as the heat departs ; those that are lasting may 
be taken under glass to impart a delicate, yet ^Dowerful scent 
throughout the greenhouse. 

' The giant Datura bares her breast 
Of fragrant scent, a virgin white, 
A pearl amidst the realms of night.' — Bishop Hebee. 

Day lily. See Hemerocallis. 

Decumaria. — Hardy climbers. D. harhara, from Texas, is a beauti- 
ful variety that produces bunches of white flowers scented like the 
Hawthorn. D. sinensis, from China, also possesses similar attrac- 
tions. 

Delphinium Brunonianum. — A musk-scented variety of this member 
of the Larkspur family, found in elevated places in the mountains 
of Northern India. D. glaciale is another species, the whole plant 
being strongly impregnated with musk. 

Detarium Senegalense. — A West African tree, bearing white fragrant 
flowers, followed by an edible fruit the size of a peach. 

Deutzia. — Xeat-growing, hardy, shrubby plants, largely cultivated 
for winter and spring decoration of the greenhouse and conserva- 
tory. Out of doors they form dense bushes, that are literally 
covered with racemes of pretty white flowers in spring ; they drop 
their leaves in autumn, the small plants can then be lifted, trans- 
ferred in pots under glass in heat, and forced into bloom during 
the winter months ; the flowers emit a pleasing fragrance like May, 
and are exceedingly attractive. There are double and single 
varieties, likewise a rose-coloured kind. 

Dianthus caryophyllus.— Carnation, Pink, Picotee. See Illustration, 
* Of all the flowers that adorn the garden, ' says Hogg, ' whether 
they charm the eye with their beauty, or regale the sense of smell- 
ing by their fragrance, this family may justly be said to hold high 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



rank ; in stateliness of growth, brilliancy and diversity of colours, 
and the sweetness of perfume, it never fails to attract our regard 
and attention.' 

In its wild state this flower, found growing on poor and dry soil 
in some parts of England, attracts no notice from its beauty, nor 
has it much scent. Under cultivation, however, it has become one 
of the most popular, both for its supreme beauty of form and, in 
many cases, its rich spicy odour. In Queen Elizabeth's time it 
seems to have been a flower held in high estimation, for we find it 
often celebrated by the poets of her day. Shenstone, for instance, 
gives the following dainty lines in its favour : — 

* Let yon admired Carnation own, 
Not all for needfnl use alone ; 
There while the seeds of future blossoms dwell, 
'Tis coloured for the sight, perfumed to please the smell.' 

Here are some sweet lines sent me by Mrs. Howard Watson : — 

' Red Carnations blushing bright, 

(Sun-kissed floAvers of love's own hue, 
Fair adorers of the light, 
Heavenly odours spring from you ! 
From the warmth ye gain your charms ! 
Blooming in love's circling arms. 

' 0, ye fair Carnation blooms, 

Yours the happy lot to give 
Lovely looks and fair perfumes, 
All the days 'tis yours to live ! 
Children of the light are ye, 
Teaching praise and love to me.' 

The various groups are divided into classes according to the 
markings of the flower ; under the heading of Bdf^^ flowers of one 
colour only ; Fancies, flowers with markings on coloured grounds ; 
Biz'arres, flowers striped or variegated with three or four shades of 
colour ; Flalces, flowers of two colours only, striped heavily length- 
wise through the petals, and yellow grounds, a new class fast becom- 
ing very popular ; Picotees are classed according to the colour of 
the edges of the petals. 

SIioiv Varieties. — This section embraces the varieties usually seen 
on the exhibition table. In form they are perfection, and in 
colour the most exquisite ; add to this their lovely perfume, when 
they possess it, and abundance of flower, there is no wonder at their 
being held in such high esteem by lovers of the beautiful. ]yiiite 
Dame] and Florence Tlioday are highly scented representatives of 
this group. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



39 



Garden Varieiie-^. — These are prized on account of their hardi- 
ness, their free flowering propensities, and the fact that they re- 
main a goodly period in bloom ; the flowers are not wantiug in 
attractiveness, and the odour of few other hardy pla.nts is more 
generally acceptable. They produce an abundance of bloom, and are 
grown in large quantities to supply our markets. It is thought by 
many that the Old Crimson is the only one of the race that is 
odoriferous, but it is not so, and although it should have a 
prominent position among sweet-scented flowers, there are others 
that ought to be associated with it. These are J\Irs. Mattlieics, pure 
white flowers of fine form, and delightfully fragrant ; Rosa Bon- 
heur, a beautiful variety with pink flowers ; Geant des Batailles, a 
grand scarlet flower; King of the Yellows, Prince Arthur, purple; 
Blush Clove^ a blush variety of the Old Crimson Clove ; Gloire de 
Nancy, with pure white flowers, which are clove-scented ; Miss 
Ellen Terry, white ; Mrs. F. Watts, white ; Lord Hillingdon, yel- 
low and red ; Falstaf, crimson scarlet ; M. Allcot, white striped 
rose ; General Steicart, deep crimson ; Buccleuch Clove, rose and 
white ; Mary Morris, rose pink ; Murillo, bright red ; Paid Engle- 
hearty crimson ; Windsor Bride, pure white ; Cantab., bright rose ; 
Empress, pure white ; Leander, yellow ; Elsie, yellow and white ; 
Alfred Ash, rose ; Dr. Pari:, deep pink ; Lady Henry Grosvenor, 
Miss Mary Godfrey, white ; The Bum Seedling. 

Tree or Perpetual Varieties.— A most interesting and useful 
group. As a section they must be considered unique, and if 
properly cultivated they are invaluable for conservatory decoration 
during autumn, winter, and at a time when flowers are scarce. 
The Malmaison class are grand Carnations belonging to the per- 
petual flowering section. Varieties with delightful scented attrac- 
tions are Mrs. L. de Rothschild, rosy pink ; La Belle, George Fry, 
Queen of Roses, Countess of Paris, Iver White, Uriah PiJce, dull 
scarlet ; Mrs. A. Hemsley, deep crimson ; and Dul:e of YorJc, dark 
crimson. Of Pinks the best representatives are Her Majesty, 
white ; Clove PinJ:, deep rose ; Anne Boleyn, dark rose ; Mrs. 
SinJcins, white ; and Stanley, white. 

It has been remarked in the pages of The Garden that Carnations 
are in danger of losing one of their greatest charms, namely, their 
delightful scent. It is important to urge that they should be 
scented, because by far the majority of present day kinds — I allude 
chiefly to garden Selfs, whether English or French — are as scentless 
as the Baroness Rothschild Rose. It is true that these fine kinds 
appeal to us strongly through other channels, by reason of such 
merits as vigour, freedom of flowering, fine form, rich colour, etc., 



40 



AA^ ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



: and they find much favour ; but the crowning charm of all, which 
we seek too often in vain, is that of scent. All who look for the 
natural charms of Carnations must surely deplore the want of 
scent in the modern varieties, and tlie sooner we remedy the evil 
the better. Carnations doubtless have not become all but scentless 
at one step. In the improvement of recent years the charm of 
scent has been ignored or forgotten. This proves how observant 
and watchful we should be, lest whilst doing good in one direction 
by developing and bringing out the finer qualities of a flower, we 
disregard natural charms. It is not predicting too much that in 
another decade scentless Carnations will be the rule, and a scented 
kind a ver}^ rare exception. This must happen if we rely on those 
w^ho keep on raising new kinds from a scentless source. A little 
w^holesome agitation did much good in bringing to the front the 
merits of Self Carnations, and now that we are satisfied upon the 
point, and convinced by results of trials, let us agitate for scented 
Carnations. We shall not be successful, perhaps, in inducing the 
orthodox florist to make the slightest deviation from his narrow 
w'ay, but the love of Carnations is making headway. ^lany of its 
lovers liave no aspirations beyond fully enjoj^ing and appreciating 
the flower, and to these we must look. 

Of the hardy perennial section of single Dianthus we may name 
D. ccesius, the cheddar Pink, D. plumosus, D. monsjjeliacuSi D. 
amentus, D. fragrans, and D. siqjtrhus as fragrant representatives. 

The Sweet William, D. harhafus, is a member of this extensive 
family, some of the old-fashioned strains possess a spicy odour, 
that is almost void in the giant forms of modern days. 

A present century poet has left us the following beautiful lines 
on this dainty flower : — 

' In fair Anglia's bosom boru, 

Diaiitlins spreads his fringed array, 
And glowing 'mid the purpled morn, 
Adds fragrance to the new-born day. 

Sweet flower beneath a cloudless sky, 

Such favouring smiles thy scents invite ; 
To all the world's fair region fly 

And paint their gardens with delight.' 

Dicentra Canadensis (American Squirrel Corn). — An herbaceous plant, 

with fragrant flowers. Allied to the Dlt>ytra. 
Dicksonia punctilobula. — An American hardy fern with odorous 

attractions. 

Dictamnus Fraxinella (Dittany or Burning Bush). — A singularly 
beautiful and interesting hardy herbaceous perennial, native of 




Vin.-eut Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



HELIOTROPE. 



I 



I 
t 




SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



41 



Europe ; the whole plant emits an agreeable Citron-like odour, and 
is also said to exhale an inflammable vapour, perceptible after dark. 
The daughter of Linn^us is stated to have been the first discoverer 
of this peculiar property. The plant is not uncommon in old- 
fashioned cottage gardens, but not nearly so frequently as it ought 
to be, considering its beauty and the fine balsamic odour it gives 
out when rubbed or pressed. It produces a profusion of spikes of 
rosy purple flowers ; there is also a white and giant red variety, 
and both are easily grown from seed. 
Dielytra chrysantha. — An herbaceous perennial from California, with 
golden yellow blossoms, produced in great abundance. 

' This remarkable plant is blooming as vigorously with me as it does 
on its native Californian hills, and it has been in flower for the last eight 
weeks. The blossoms, which are produced in such abundance, have a 
peculiar and agreeable odour. In good soil the flower stems reach a height 
of five to six feet.' — Garden. 

Dietes Huttoni [Butterfly Flag). — A half-hardy perennial Iris-like plant, 

with yellow and crimson flowers that are very sweet scented. 
Dill. See Anethum. 

Dillenia indica. — A handsome Eastern tropical tree, with large pure 
white fragrant flowers. 

Dioscorea batatta (Yam, Madeira or Cinnamon Vine). — A pretty 
climbing plant with tuberous roots, largely cultivated in warm 
climates. The roots are imported and used as a vegetable ; it has 
not yet, however, taken hold of the British taste, and its chief 
patrons appear to be those whose sojourn in tropical climes have 
taught them to appreciate its edible properties. It has been found 
to thrive out of doors in sheltered situations in the South of 
England, where the highly ornamental appearance of its elegant 
heart-shaped leaves and hanging clusters of sweet-scented white 
flowers is very effective. Grown from roots, which can be obtained 
in Covent Garden market at certain seasons. 

Diosma ericoides [Heath-leaved Diosma), — A half-hardy evergreen 
shrub from South Africa, with small white flowers that are pro- 
duced at the end of the branches ; they possess a powerful and 
aromatic scent, as do the leaves also, especially noticeable when 
rubbed in the hand. 

Diotis ceratoides. — A Siberian shrub, with insignificant flowers that 
possess a slight scent of honey sweetness. 

Dipterix odorata. — The Central American tree that produces the 
scented Tonga Bean of commerce. 

Dipyrena. — A genus of hardy shrubs from Chili. D. glahrescens bears 
spikes of tubular sweet-scented Verbena-like flowers. 



42 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Discocactus insignis.— A West Indian variety of the Cactus family, 
bearing flowers that smell like Orange blossoms. 

Dodecatheon Meadia(.4??zer/ca?z Cowslip, or Shooting Star of the Prairie 
Indians). — The old and sancy-looking American Cowslip is the 
most beautiful member of the Primrose family amongst the flowers 
of California and other parts of the United States. Called in the 
West the Shooting Star, from the manner in which the floral leaves 
are reflexed, this peculiarity and delicacy of colouring makes the 
entire appearance of the flowers one of exquisite beauty. Its odour 
is strong and spicy, like Cinnamon, and at times very similar to the 
most fragrant Pinks. 

Dolichodeira tubiflora. — A gesneraceous plant of the Gloxinia family 
w^th large white scented flowers resembling single Tuberoses ; the 
fragrance from one single plant is sufficient to perfume a large 
conservatory. 

Dombeya. — A genus of tropical shrubs from Eastern Africa and the 
islands adjacent thereto. D. acutaMguIa bears clusters of blush 
coloured flowers with a Hawthorn scent, as also does D. Master sii, 
D. vihurnifolia, and D. tilia^folia. 

Doryphora sassafras. — An Australian tree. The leaves emit an agree- 
able aromatic odour resembling Fennel. 

Dracaena. — Although this beautiful tribe of plants, from sub-tropical 
regions, are grown in temperate climates for their ornamental 
foliage, it may be worth repeating a paragraph referring to the 
scented properties of their flowers taken from The Field : — ' Is it not 
unusual for Draceenas to flower in this climate ? I have some now 
just bursting into splendid bloom ; one tree has three large heads, 
and another two ; the flowers formed early in April, and are now 
just opening. I think it was in 1887, that hot season, that they 
flowered last, and every one who saw them seemed amazed at their 
doing so in this country. The flowers came to great perfection, 
the perfume was most powerful in the air for a long distance, and 
the seeds ripened perfectly ; we sowed a quantity and all grew, 
and now we have no end of fine plants.' 

In their native habitats many varieties bear delightfully scented 
sprays of bloom, notably D. reflexa. and D. fragrans. 

Dracocephalum moldavicum [Moldavian Balm). — An annual, re- 
markable principally for the aromatic fragrance of its leaves : there 
are other kinds that are perennial — one of them, D. canariense, or 
Cedronella triphylla, is better known as Balm of Gilead — and 
similarl^^ attractive. 

Drimys Winteri. — An evergreen tree of the Magnolia family from 
South America, bearing fragrant Jasmine-like blue-white flowers. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



43 



Duabanga. — A family of East Indian trees, bearing large white strong- 
smelling flowers. 

Drymaria Wildenovi. — An Indian fern with hay-scented leaves. 

Dysophilla. — A genus of tropical herbaceous plants, with foliage 
smelling strongly of Peppermint. They are all natives of India, 

Earina suaveolens. — See Orchids. 

Echinocereus pectinatus. — A beautiful form of the Cactaceous family 
from the hot and dry regions of Mexico, bearing in great profusion 
large pink flowers of strong and delightful fragrance. E. longi- 
hamatus is an equally pleasing companion. 

Echinops Eyriesii. — A species of the Cactus family from Central 
America. This variety in particular bears beautiful white flowers, 
possessing a delicious fragrance that is powerful and most pleasing. 
E, t ubiflorus, another white flowering kind, is delicately Vanilla - 
scented. 

Echites caryophyllata. — A tropical climbing plant with sprays of 
wliite flowers that are strongly impregnated with the smell of 
Cloves. 

Edgworthia chrysantha. — A Daphne-like half-hardy shrub from 
China, bearing yellow flowers, pleasingly fragrant. 

Ehretia s errata. — An Indian tree with fragrant flowers. 

Elaeagnus hortensis ( Wild Olive). — A deciduous shrub, native of 
South Europe, largely grown in English gardens for its pretty 
yellow flowers, which are produced in great abundance in the 
spring, and perfume the air for a considerable distance around. 
E, orientalis is a half-hardy variety from Persia, and another species 
indigenous to the southern parts of North America is E. parvi- 
folia, SL variety that has attracted considerable attention on account 
of its peculiar habit of growth, its remarkably beautiful foliage, the 
delicious fragrance of its blooms, and the interesting manner in 
which it fastens its branches to whatever it meets, its blossoms are 
so modest, only appearing on the under side of the branch, as if to 
hide away from the gaze of human beings, and so very diminutive 
that they would escape observation entirely were it not for their 
odorous smell. You may be some distance from the shrub, and a 
waft of coy fragrance greets you. Its sweet breath leads you to 
the shrub, and still you wonder from whence it comes. You are 
repaid for your search, for you find the sweet little flowers on the 
under side of the branches, and are more than ever surprised at 
their wealth of fragrance. E. Simonli is a dainty white-flowered 
kind. 

Elder. See Sambuscus. 



44 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Elettaria cardamomum. — An East Indian fruiting tree that produces 
the Cardamom of commerce. The leaves have a highly aromatic 
fragrance, and are serviceable, especially for scenting clothes or 
working into bouquets or vases of flowers. The seeds are also 
highly aromatic, and when taken in the mouth have a pleasant 
taste, and add a delicious fragrance to the breath. The foliage of 
the plant is in itself highly ornamental, to say nothing of its 
fragrance, whilst the flowers, which are white, are borne in spikes 
closely resembling some of the most beautiful Orchids. 

Elsholtzia cristata. — An Eastern shrub with scented flowers. 

Epacris pulchella (Sweet-scented Epacris). — A beautiful greenhouse 
shrub, native of Australia, bearing tubular pink flowers upon long 
stems that have a very pretty efi"ect. This variety appears to be 
one of the few that possess scented attractions. 

Epigaea rep ens (Mayflower or Ground Laurel). — A very pretty 
dwarf creeping shrub, one of the most popular rockery plants of 
the day, with flowers a rich pink with white tubes, that give ofi" 
a rich spicy fragrance, and pretty heart-shaped evergreen leaves. 
E. repens is a native of the Northern States of America. In its 
native habitat it grows on stony places ; sometimes under the 
shade of trees and larger shrubs than itself. 

Epilobium hirsutum. — A perennial herbaceous plant common in many 
parts of Great Britain, bearing pink flowers ; the whole plant 
exhales a peculiar scent, to which the appellation of Codlins and 
Cream has been given. 

Epiphora. See Orchids. 

Eremurus robustus. — A noble plant of the Asphodel tribe from Eastern 
Europe, producing enormous spikes of bright peach-coloured bloom, 
deliciously scented. The individual flowers are somewhat like the 
old border Asphodel, but far handsomer and larger ; they also 
continue six to eight weeks in bloom, the flowers opening first at 
the bottom of the spike. Several of the family possess scented 
attractions, and can be readily grown from seed or bulbs, 

Eria. — A class of Orchidaceous plants closely related to Dendrobiums ; 
many species possess fragrant flowers. 

Erica (Heath). Although these charming hardy shrubby plants 
belong to an extensive natural order, very few possess sufficient 
scented value to come within the limit of these notes. One or two 
varieties, however, we must not pass unheeded. E. odorata is one 
of the pretty spring flowering heaths far too seldom seen. The 
flowers are pure white, bell-shaped, gracefully supported on slender 
footstalks, and possess a delightful fragrance which has often 
been compared to ' a compound of Roses and Honeysuckle.' It is 



S WEE T- SMELLING PLA NTS 



45 



a very old inhabitant of English gardens, but though usually found 
where collections of hard-wooded plants are prized, it is now com- 
paratively scarce ; it is, however, w^ell worth the attention of true 
lovers of flowers. E. regtrminans is another dainty variety that 
puts forth its tiny sweet-scented flow^ers in great profusion during 
early spring, and so does E. melanthera. 

' The promise-toned hum of the busy bee, 
With joy for the SAveets that from flower and tree, 
And the honeyed bells of the xuirple heather, 
She gathers in store for the wintry weather.' — Twamley. 

Erinosum. — Another name for Leucojum vernuin, or Snowflake. 
Erinus fragrans. — A modest Alpine plant for cultivation in dry 

places amongst rockwork, bearing yellow sweet-scented flowers in 

spring. 

Eriocephalus. — A genus of South African plants with denticulated 

fleshy leaves, after the style of our common Wormwood, and 

imparting a somewhat similar aromatic odour. 
Eriocoma fragrans. — A Xorth American evergreen shrub, bearing 

during the autumn a profusion of pure white flowers deliciously 

fragrant. 

Eriostemon. — A family of Australian shrubby trees with peculiarly 
smelling foliage. 

Eritrichium nothofulvum. — A Calif ornian annual, with flowers very 
similar to the Forget-me-not, pure white in colour, and emitting an 
odour like Honeysuckle. 

Erodium [StorJc^s Bill, or Wild Geranium), — A genus of European 
hardy plants, many species being common to Great Britain. The 
leaves of most varieties possess a dainty balsamic odour w^hen 
bruised or passed through the hand. 

Erysimum (Hedge Mustard). — A class of pretty hardy annuals and 
biennials, mostly from the East. E, PeroffsJdammi, from Persia, 
with bright orange sweet-scented flowers, somewhat resembling the 
Wallflower, is now a popular plant. E. punilum is another variety 
of neat habit, and bearing pale yellow fragrant bloom. 

Erythrochiton Braziliensis.— A small tree from South America, bearing 
white flowers and foliage fragrant with the scent of Oranges. 

Escallonia macrantha. — A South American shrub, w4th rich green 
foliage, that emits a peculiar odour when pressed. The flowers also 
possess a dainty fragrance. There are other varieties, equally 
attractive, that are largely grown in the South of England as 
ornamental evergreen plants for the wall or border. 

Eucalyptus. — A genus of trees of giant growth, natives of Australasia. 
Although they will thrive out of doors in the South of England, they 



46 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



are generally grown in pots as greenhouse plants. E. globulus, the 
best-known variety, is styled the Fever or Blue Gum-tree, and it 
is largely employed for cultivation in unhealthy, low-lying, or 
swampy districts, for its antiseptic properties ; beyond this its 
scented attractions call for no special comment. E. citriodoria, the 
lemon-scented Eucalyptus, is a charmingly dainty plant, its leaves 
emitting a delightful fragrance. E. Stuartiana is also a scented 
variety similar to ripe Apples. S. Stageriana is yet another attrac- 
tive form, with a pleasing smell in its foliage. 

Eucharis Amazonica (Amazonian Lily). — A chaste and beautiful 
bulbiferous plant from South America, producing most delicately 
scented white tubular flowers that are largely employed for per- 
sonal decoration, and also at Eastertide for use in churches. It is 
cultivated as a stove plevnt in this country, and largely grown in all 
well-regulated establishments. There are several other sorts, all 
possessing a delightful odour. 

Eucomis punctata.— A beautiful autumn-flowering bulbous plant, 
with spikes of white and rose flowers, powerfully fragrant. 

^ E. imnctatd is one of the grandest subjects we have for early autumn, 
as it remains in flower such a length of time. Flowers white, spotted 
rose, and powerfully fragrant ; flower-spike about 2 feet high, the top 
half resembling a fox-brush, the small "waxy flowers being set on so close 
together.' — Floral World. 

Eugenia pimenta (Allspice). — A species of Myrtle from the West Indies. 
In the whole vegetable kingdom there is scarcely any tree more 
beautiful than a young Allspice, branched on all sides, richly clad 
with deep green leaves, which are relieved by an exuberance of 
white and richly aromatic flowers ; it attracts the notice of all who 
approach it, while the perfume which is exhaled around, and softly 
wafted by the gentlest breeze, renders a group of these trees one 
of the most delicious plantations one can conceive. The leaves 
when bruised emit a fine aromatic odour as powerful as that of 
the fruit. Its common name has been obtained from the fact that 
when the berries are prepared for market they resemble in flavour 
a mixture of all other spices. 

Eupatorium odoratum. — A pretty herbaceous perennial from Central 
America, with panicles of daintily scented bloom of a ros}^ pink 
shade of colour. E. aromaticiim is a white flowering North 
American variety, whilst E. Weissmanianum is an African species, 
also very fragrant. 

Euryangium Sumbul. — A hardy perennial with ornamental Fennel-like 
foliage, having a musky scent. A still more interesting, and, for a 
long time, enigmatical plant is Sambid, kept from the Russians at 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



47 



first as jealously in Turkestan as the Ginseng was in Manchuria. 
An offered reward of 20 half-imperials for a single specimen for 
introduction was for a long time unclaimed ; but subsequently a 
bulb was planted in the botanical garden of Moscow University, 
and successfully cultivated. Its root has the smell of Musk and 
Archaugelica, on account of which it is employed in the richer 
harems of Turkestan. 

Eurybia argophylla {Silver- Leaved Musk Tree).— A giant tree of 
commercial value in South Australia and Tasmania. It is gene- 
rally grown in this country as a greenhouse shrub, where its leaves 
impart a pleasing frangipane-like odour. 

Evening Flower. See Hesperantha. 

Evening Primrose. See CEnothera. 

Evodia. — A small family of shrubs, found in Xorthern Australia. 

E. Hortemis and E. drupacea both possess scented attractions. 

Fagonia cretica. — An annual found wild on the shores of the Medi- 
terranean Sea and in many other warm parts of the world. It 
bears lilac flowers that are fragrant. 

Fagraea zeylanica. — A tropical Asiatic shrub, with handsome foliage 
and trumpet-like flowers much resembling the Gardenia, and 
ee|ually as fragrant. 

Faramea odoratissima. — A stove evergreen shrub from the West 
Indies, with white scented flowers ; allied to the Coffee. 

Fennel. See Anethum. 

Feronia elephantum {Indian AjqAe-tree). — An Eastern fruiting tree 
named after the Goddess of the Groves, and largely employed in 
furnishing medicinal commodities. The leaves have an odour like 
that of Anise, whilst the flowers partake of the fragrance of 
Oranges. 

Feverfew. See Pyrethrum. 

Flacourtia. See Idesia. 

Forsythia suspensa. — A Chinese shrub, bearing pendulous jasmine- 
like yellow flowers in early summer ; it is a great attraction when 
trained to a wall, as the whole plant becomes wreathed with 
blossom, and forms a beautiful picture, besides emitting a delicate 
perfume. 

Fothergilla. — A species of dwarf deciduous Xorth American shrubs, 
bearing white sweet-scented flowers. The feathery clusters of 

F. alnifoUa. are very attractive. 

Fourcroya gigantea. — A succulent plant from the tropics, of enormous 
proportions, and literally covered with thousands of white blooms 
after the style of the Tuberose, and of a similar fragrance. 



48 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Fragaria [Strawberry). — The fragrance of this fruiting creeping plant 
is only perceptible when grown in large masses. The dried leaves 
also possess a peculiar hay-like scent. Spenser says : 

' Her goodly bosom, like a Strawberry bed, 
Such fragrant flowers do give most odorous smell.' 

Frangipani. See Plumieria. 
Frankincense. See Bosweliia. 

Franzeria artemisioides. — A beautiful ornamental plant, growing 
about 6 feet high, and possessing an agreeable aromatic odour. 

Fransisca latifolia. — A sub-tropical shrub from Brazil and Peru, with 
thick, glossy, laurel-like leaves, and trumpet-shaped flowers that 
open blue and change to white, and emit a delicate fragrance. 
There are several other varieties equally attractive. 

Fraxinella. See Dictamnus. 

Freesia refracta. — One of the many beautiful kinds of bulbous 
flowering plants that has reached us from South Africa. It would 
be difficult to imagine that the tiny bulb could ever produce such a 
lovely display of trumpet-shaped flowers as is the case, which vary 
in colour from pure white to pale yellow, are borne upright along a 
delicate stem, and possess the most delicious honey fragrance that 
fills the air for some distance. 

* We have had fair experience with these plants, and usually commence 
cutting just before Christmas, a season at which the flowers are doubly 
valuable — fi.rst on account of their own intrinsic beauty, and secondly, 
because of the general scarcity just then of delicate flowers. It is quite 
surprising what power the flowers of these plants have in perfuming 
a room, and yet their fragrance, though strong, is never overpowering.' — 
Garden. 

Fritillaria pudica (iS^mZ^es/ieac?). — A golden yellow form of this pretty 
spring-flowering bulbous plant, with dainty scented attractions. 

Funkia grandiflora (Flaintain Lily). — A pretty liliaceous plant with 
striking foliage, throwing up spikes of white fragrant flowers during 
autumn. F. subcordata, from China, is another variety bearing 
large white, sweetly fragrant, bell-formed blooms. 

Furze. See Ulex. 

Galanthus Perryii. — A species of our common Snowdrop, with large 

flowers possessing a delicate fragrance. 
Galbanum. See Bubon galbanum, 

Galipea odoratissima. — An evergreen tree from Brazil, with white 
scented flowers and odorous leaves. This plant produces the 
Angostura bark of commerce. 




Vinreiit Brooks, Day >)c Svii. Lh 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



49 



Galium suaveolens. — One of the common Bedstra^vs from Xorthern 

Europe, with white" scented flowers and aromatic foliage. 
Galtonia. See Hyacinthus. 

Gardenia. — A genus of sub-tropical shrubs from Asia and South Africa ; 
great favourites on account of the fragrance and beauty of the 
flowers. Several kinds are in cultivation, and none are better 
known than the Cape Jessamine, Jlorida, with pretty double 
white flowers, largely emploj^ed for button-holes, ladies' sprays, and 
in white wreaths, and also for scenting teas in China ; another so- 
called Jessamine, radicans, is a dwarf free-blooming variety, 
exceedingly fragrant ; G, cahjculata and G. arhorea are Indian 
species; G, tomentom, from Je^xa, and G. Devoniana, from West 
Africa, are all sweetly scented. 

Gardoquia betonicoides. — An herbaceous greenhouse plant from 
Mexico, both its rosy purple flowers and leaves emit an agreeable 
fragrance, that make it exceedingly attractive. 

Gaultheria procumbens. — A North American hardy creeping plant, 
bearing drooping white flowers. Both the leaves and bloom possess 
a rather pleasant aromatic odour, and produce an essence used in 
the manipulation of medicines. The plant is likewise known as 
Mountain Tea, the leaves being sometimes used as a substitute for 
this popular refreshment ; other varieties, including G. fragran- 
tissima, from the East, are berry-bearing, from which a scented oil 
is extracted and largely used by perfumers. 

Gelsemium sempervirens [GaroUna Jessamine). — An evergreen climb- 
ing plant from California, bearing pendent wreaths of lovely yellow 
flowers during the summer months. 

Gendarussa vulgaris. — An Indian shrub; both the leaves and stalks 
emit a peculiar odour when bruised, and a decoction from this 
source is largely employed by native doctors. 

Genetyllis. — A family of i^ustralian flowering shrubs remarkable for 
the sweetness of their foliage, the fragrance of which is very 
peculiar and lasting. 

Genista Hispanica {Spanish Broom). See Cytisus. 

Geonoma pumila. — A Brazilian Palm, the young growth of which 
carries a strong odour of Violets. 

Geranium. See Pelargonium. 

Gethyllis (Gape Crocus). — A family of South African plants, with 
beautifully scented flowers. 

Gladiolus. — A beautiful species of South African bulbous plants, many 
are sweet-scented, but for the most part this delightful attraction 
has been neglected in the desire to introduce large highly-coloured 
flowers. Of the older sorts, some of which are rarely seen, are 

D 



A.Y ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



the following : — G. adorns , the sweet -smelling Cornflag, a charm- 
ing species, with creamy-Avhite flowers, striped pink, a single plant 
in bloom will pervade a whole greenhouse with its powerful and 
delightful odour; G. hlandus. rose and white: G. froiirans, G, 
]ii'rsutu<; rosy white ; G. 21ilh:ri. creamy white ; G. vtr-ncdor. very 
fragrant in the evening ; G. ricurcus. violet-scented : G. suaveohn^^ 
yellow and red ; G. concolor. scented like the Pink ; G. viperatus. the 
Vipers Cornflag ; G. aJatv.A, smelling like Sweetbriar ; G. tricho- 
nemifoJius, xiolet-^QQYiiQdi \ G. sulphureus. pale lemon yellow; and 
G. tri-<tis, night-flowering, and delightfully fragrant. 

Glechoma hederacea {G/-oi'.nd Iry). — A common British ' trailing 
herbaceous plant, bearing purple -violet flowers ; hardy and of 
vigorous growth ; the leaves have a refreshing fragrance similar to 
Mint. One of the most useful plants for drooping from hanging 
baskets, vases, fancy pots, and largely used in cemeteries to cover 
graves. 

Glycine. See Wisteria. 

Glycosmis pentaphylla. — A tropical Asiatic shrub, bearing sweetly- 
scented flowers. 

Gnaphalium decurrens. — An annual from South Africa, bearing white 
flowers and woolly leaves that emit a peculiar fragrance. The 
flowers when dried are almost everlasting, but they possess no 
scent. 

Gordonia lasianthus. — An American shrub, v-ith white fragrant 

flowers, both handsome and ornamental. 
Gorse. See Ulex. 

Grahamia aromatica. — A South American annual, bearing a |)rofusion 

of yellow sweet-scented flowers. 
Grape Hyacinth. See Muscari. 

Guarea trichilioides. — A West Indian tree with a Musk-like perfume. 

G. grand [-flora is a Central American siDecies, all parts being strongly 

flavoured with musk. 
Guettardia odorata. — A tropical evergreen plant from Jamaica, with 

red flowers, pleasingly scented. 
Gymnadenia conspicua. See Orchids. 

Gynocardia odora. — A handsome Indian tree, with glossy leaves, and 

yellow, sweet-scented flowers. 
Gynoxis fragrans. — A Central American climber, with pale yellow 

fragrant flowers. 

Habenaria. See Orchids. 

Haemanthus moschatus ( The Blood Flon-er). — Bulbous flowering plants 
of the Amaryllis family, bearing pretty red flowers that are highly 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



51 



odorous. The Ha?manthiis ma}^ be gro^vn by any one in the window- 
garden or greenhouse, or even in a warm border in the open air. 
Few plants are more singular in character," or possess a more strik- 
ing contrast to all others in cultivation. The flowers are brilliant 
in colour, novel in arrangement, and last long, and in most of the 
species the foliage is strikingly and curiously marked. 

Haematoxylon campeachianum (Logicood). — A tropical tree of light 
and elegant growth, bearing cotton-like racemes of small yellow 
flowers, very fragrant and beautiful. 

Hakea suaveolens. — A variety of a genus of shrubby Australian trees, 
bearing white flowers with dainty scented attractions. 

Hamiltonia suaveolens. — An Indian shrub, with plume -like heads 
of tubular flowers, which emit a most delightful fragrance for 
some distance around. azurea has lavender-coloured blossoms, 
which continue for a length of time a delightful ornament to the 
garden. 

Hancornia. — Shrubby Brazilian trees with sweet-smelling flowers, 

resembling the Jasmine. 
Hawthorn. See Crataegus. 
Heartsease. See Viola. 
Heath. See Erica. 

Hebenstreitia. — A family of neat-growing shrubby plants from South 

Africa, resembling Mignonette in form and scent. 
Hedeoma pulegioides. — The Pennyroyal of America, an annual with 

lavender flowers. The whole plant has a pleasing scent and a 

Mint-like taste. 

Hedera fragrans. — A Xorth Indian variety of our common Ivy, with 

white scented bloom. 
Hederoma. — Signifying sweet perfume. See Genetyllis. 
Hedychium cor om.v{um {Garland Flower). — An Indian perennial herba- 
ceous plant with handsome sweet-scented white blossoms, borne on 
lengthy spikes, and emitting a j)leasing fragrance towards evening. 
H. Gardner ianura and palUdiun possess equally attractive flowers, 
and all will thrive out of doors in the South of England. H. 
flaviun, a yellow-flowering kind, possesses an exquisite fragrance, 
which secures for this variety almost sacred eminence amongst the 
Hindu worshippers. H. gracile, a Brazilian variety, is used by 
the native women to decorate their hair. H. anguiti folium, H. 
villosum, ff.' speciosum, and H. spicatum are all delicately odorous. 

^ Most of the species of this delightful genus are exceedingly beautiful, 
and richly deserve a place in every collection of plants. The flowers are 
exceedingly fragrant, and render tlie atmosphere of the house exceedingly 
pleasant and inviting.' — Florist, 



52 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Hedysarum coronarium {French HoneysucUe). — An herbaceous legu- 
minous plant, largely grown on the Continent for feeding Stock. 
Its popular name no doubt is due to its similarity to red Clover, 
often called Honeysuckle by country children from the uses they 
make of its sweet flower-tubes. 

Helichrysum fragrans. — A neat shrubby plant from South Africa, 
with small pink flowers that have an agreeable odour ; they will 
keep in a dry state for a long time after gathering, being practi- 
cally everlasting. H. odoratissimum, with yellow flowers ; and 
H. graveolens, also possess scented attractions. 

Heliotropum (Heliotrope, Cherry Pie). — This beautiful scented flower- 
ing plant is stated to have owed its existence to the death of Clytie, 
who pined away in hopeless love of the god Apollo : — • 

'She ^Yitll distracted passion pines away, 

Her perished limbs "beget 
A flower, resembling the pale Violet ; 
Which with the sun, though rooted fast, doth move ; 
And being changed, changed not her love.' — Ovid. 

The Peruvian Heliotrope has for generations been cultivated for 
the delicious fragrance of its small clusters of lavender-coloured 
flowers which shed an Almond-like perfume that has found for the 
plant the name of Cherry Pie. The annual varieties mostly come 
from the West Indies and all are delicately perfumed, some 
emitting a smell of new- mown hay. They also constitute an 
important and valuable class of sweet-scented flowers, employed 
as bedders, provided the more compact growing varieties are chosen. 
The Queen is a variety producing large heads of flowers that are 
almost white, and very powerfully fragrant. Bouquet de Viol eft es, 
Duchess of Edlnl'urrjh, rucI Lady Jlole-^vorthhciye flowers of various 
shades of blue, and are specially suitable for supplying cut flowers. 
Bouquet Perfume bears flowers of a pleasing lilac-blue colour. For 
bedding, the best are Dicina, light blue, and Mrs. Leicinrjton, dark 
blue. In sub-tropical climates they are largely used for making 
hedges, and marvellously beautiful are they in this capacity, shed- 
ding a pleasing fragrance around. 

Helleborus [Christmas Pose). — A common plant in the South of 
Europe, and now acclimatised in our gardens. Its chief attraction 
is its usefulness of coming into bloom in midwiuter ; the flowers of 
H. cau^^a^icus, H. graveoJens, and H. Bocconi are all pleasingly 
scented of the Elder ; beyond these the family possesses no 
fragrant attractions. 

Hemerocallis flava (Bay L'dy^ or YeUojn Tnherose). — This beautiful 
floweringjjulbous plant has been made tlie emblem of coquetry, 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



53 



because its lily -like blossoms seldom last beyond a day. Its flowers 
are yellow, and although they are of short duration there is a 
plentiful succession, so that the plant continues to display its 
beauty and to give out its agreeable fragrance for a considerable 
length of time. It is admirable for cutting, and shows to peculiar 
advantage in vases mingled with graceful foliage. Another beautiful 
yellow sort, H. Dumortieri, from North Asia is charmingly fragrant. 
There are also white and blue varieties equally attractive. They 
grow well in any good garden soil, and are not averse to partial 
shade and moist places, and would, therefore, in the stronger species, 
be av^ailable for introducing into groves by stream and pond sides. 
Henna. See Lawsonia inermis. 

Hepatica. — A modest member of the Anemone family, of European 
origin. It flowers in early spring, and in a wild state they are 
generally hidden amongst stronger-growing plants in woods or on 
banks, a subtle fragrance hovering over them betraying their 
whereabouts. A delightful little plant, bearing scented blossoms in 
various shades of colour, and worthy of more prominence than is 
at present given it. 

Hermannia fragrans. — Compact growing evergreen shrubs from South 
Africa, with nodding sweet-scented flowers, produced in clusters. 

Herniaria glabra. — A British shrub with scented leaves, not unfre- 
quent in tlie Devonshire lanes. 

Herreria. — A tribe of liliaceous plants from South America allied to 
the Anthericum, bearing racemes of scented flowers. 

Hesperantha. — A genus of Cape bulbous plants remarkable for ex- 
panding their sweet-scented flowers in the evening when the air is 
warm and dry. 

Hesperis matronalis (Boiihle-icJiite RocJcet). — A native of Europe, 
and one of the most fragrant ornaments of our gardens ; although 
an easily cultivated perennial, it is rarely seen outside nursery 
collections. The scent of its dainty white flowers is strongest in 
the evening. H, fragrans is another scented variety from Siberia 
with purple flowers, whilst H. tristis is night-scented. 

Hesperoscordum lacteum {Missouri Hyacinth). — A bulbous plant 
from Missouri, with white, star-like, sweet-scented flowers. 

Heteromelles arbutifolia. — A Calif ornian evergreen plant, resembling 
the Arbutus of our gardens ; the fragrance of its pure white flowers 
is very similar to the Hawthorn. 

Heterotropha asaroides. — A singular plant from Japan, bearing a 
dull purple flower possessing the perfume of a ripe Apple. 

Hibiscus. — A genus of sub-tropical flowering shrubs, of great beauty 
in size and colour of the blossoms, only a very few however possess 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



a fragrance, principal amongst which may be named H. macro- 
%)hyllus^ a giant yellow-flowered kind, and H, moschatus. 

Hierochloe borealis. — A sweet-scented Grass found at high ele- 
vations throughout the temperate zone. It is commonly known 
in this country as Sacred Grass, because it was formerly used for 
strewing on church floors at festivals. On account of its agreeable 
fragrance it is largely used in America for making fancy baskets 
and table-mats. It is also known as Yanilla grass, and emits a 
powerful odour when trampled upon. 

Hiptage mandablota. — A tropical climbing shrub, producing trusses of 
pale-yellow flowers somewhat resembling the Chestnut, that are 
very fragrant with a honey-like perfume. 

Hirasa odorata. — A tropical climber from New Guinea with yellow 
scented flowers. 

Holbollia. — A genus of greenhouse climbers from Northern India, with 

purple fragrant flowers. H. latifolia bears dull-green blossoms with 

equally fragrant attractions. 
Homolonema aromaticum. — An Indian herbaceous plant, possessing 

an agreeable aromatic smell, deemed by the natives to possess 

medicinal virtues. 
Honey plant. See Melilotus. 
Honeysuckle. See Lonicera. 

Hopea odorata. — A North Indian tree, bearing terminal panicles of 

yellow fragrant flowers. 
Horehound. See Marrubium. 
Horse-chestnut. See ^Esculus Hippocastanum. 
Hottonia palustris {Water Violet). — A British water-plant, bearing 

handsome pink flowers that are pleasingly scented. 
Houlletia. See Orchids. 

Hovenia dulcis. — A Central Asian tree, bearing scented fruit that 
possesses an odour similar to ripe Pears — greatly esteemed in China. 

Hoya [Wax Plant). — A tropical climber, mostly from the Straits 
Settlements and other Eastern countries. H. bella is one of the 
most beautiful varieties, bearing umbels of flesh-coloured, wax-like, 
chaste and glistening flowers, most deliciously honey-scented ; they 
are produced in great abundance and constant succession. Sir 
John Hooker calls it ' the most lovely of all,' ' first gem of the air,' 
and likens it to * an amethyst set in frosted silver. ' 

Hugonia mystax. — An Indian shrub, with stems and roots smelling 
like Violets. 

Humea elegans.— An elegant half-hardy biennial from Austi-alia ; one 
of the most graceful for garden decoration. In growth it ranges 
from four to eight feet in height, gradually assuming its exquisitely 



SWEET- SMELLING PLANTS 



55 



beautiful outline of symmetry. It will stand out of doors during 
the summer months, where its foliage will emit a pleasing balsamic 
perfume, strongly perceptible after a shower of rain ; its flowers 
take the form of a loosely drooping pyramid of innumerable dull 
red grass-like florets, and the whole plant gives an air of refinement 
wherever grown. 

Humirium balsamiferum. — A giant tree of the northern parts of South 
America, which yields a rich balsamic juice that is used by the 
natives as a perfume. 

Hyacinthus orientalis (Hyacinth). — There is so much doubt and con- 
fusion as to the identity of the true Hyacinth, that it is difficult 
to define with certainty if the plant known to the ancients is really 
the sweet-scented and beautiful flower of to-day, as the true poetical 
Hyacinth of olden times is believed to be one of the Lily tribe. 
Pliny, however, describes it as having a grassy leaf with the smell 
of the Grape flower ; again, Homer mentions it with fragrant bell- 
shaped flowers ; other ancient fabulists call it the scented Cornflag, 
and there is no doubt it came from the East. Our modern Hya- 
cinths possess credentials from every point of view, sufficient 
enough for our purpose, to suppose it to be the flower that mytho- 
logists say sprang from the blood of Hyacinthus, a youth greatly 
beloved both by Apollo and Zephyr (Ovid says it was Boreas), and 
who, preferring the love of the latter, created a jealousy, which 
ended in his destruction. Even had the Hyacinth been disregarded 
by the ancients it appears to have formed many a happy theme in 
the beautiful verses left by several of our poets, through its extreme 
delicacy of colouring, elegance of form, and delightful fragrance, 
which fit it alike for the choicest garden, or a dainty vase of odorous 
flowers. It has been common to compare the Hyacinth to curls, as 
this peculiarity of curled petals is common in all forms. Sir William 
Jones describes : — 

' The fragrant Hyacinths of Azzas hair. 
That wanton with the laughing summer air.' 

A similar allusion is made by Collins : — 

' The youth whose locks divinely spreading 
Like sweet Hyacinths in vernal hue.' 

Shelley must have felt a love for its elegance when he penned 
the following beautiful lines : — 

' And the Hyacinth purple, white, and blue, 
^hich fling from its hells a sweet peal anew ; 
Of fragrance so delicate, soft, and intense, 
Which was felt like an odour within the sense. ' 

Homer mentions it as taking foremost place in the mass of fragrant 



56 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



bloom that formed the couch of Jupiter and Juno. The Greek 
virgins all wore crowns of this dainty flower w^hen assisting at the 
weddings of their friends. The Hyacinth ranks with us as queen 
of the flowers of spring, and, both in our conservatories and homes, 
it forms a leading attraction in the dark days of winter when 
pushing forth its elegance in pots and glasses. 

' Svreefc Hyacinths, tlieir bells did ring, 
To swell the music of the spring.' — Walter Crane. 

The Dutch have been extensive cultivators for many generations, 
and it is a thousand pities that our soil and climate will not admit 
of its general growth for commercial purposes. 

At Haarlem in Holland the large areas when in bloom are a grand 
sight, and the air is perfumed for miles around w^ith a pleasing 
fragrance. During the whole of the present century Hyacinths 
have been the chief article in the extensive Haarlem bulb-trade. 
The primitive Oriental Hyacinth, introduced in Holland about the 
middle of the sixteenth century, has been improved since its first 
appearance in the Low Countries, and, according to the taste of our 
grandfathers, had attained to the highest perfection about the 
middle of the eighteenth century. The late flowering varieties, 
with very large flowers, were so greatly preferred by the amateurs 
of those days, that a ' Hyacinth mania ' w^as occasioned quite ana- 
logous to the well-known Tulipomania. In our days single Hya- 
cinths are universally preferred to the double and full ones, and 
deservedly so, in our opinion. 

Hymenanthera Banksii. — An xlustralian berry-bearing shrub, with 
yellow fragrant flowers. 

Hymenocallis. See Ismene and Pancratium. 

Hyopithys. — A parasite on Fir and Beech trees ; the entire growth is 
pale in colour, and often with an odour of Musk. 

Hypocalymna suave. — An Australian evergreen shrub, with purple 
scented flowers. H. robustiim, from the Swan River, emits a 
delightful odour, resembling Orange blossoms, when crushed. 

Hypoestes moschata. — A perennial herbaceous plant from Northern 
Australia ; the v/hole plant seems pervaded with a singularly pene- 
trating Musk scent w^hich is powerfully retained even in dried 
specimens. 

Iberidella rotundifolia. — A dwarf Alpine evergreen, bearing racemes 
of rosy lilac sweet-scented flowers. 

Iberis odorata (Siveet- scented Candytuft). — A hardy annual, intro- 
duced from the Alps, common in gardens ; its white and purple 




LILY OF THE VALLEY 



Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



I 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



57 



flowers are sweetly honey-scented. In cultivation it requires but 
little care, although the perfume from its bloom is more powerful 
when the plant is grown in a poor light soil than when produced in 
rich ground. 

Icica altissima. — A Central American tree, with odorous wood and 
foliage. /. Tieptaphylla, another scented kind, yields a material 
used as incense. 

Idesia polycarpa. — A Japanese shrub of compact growth, bearing 
strongly- scented flowers. 

Illicium anisatum (Aniseed Tree of China). — With scented fruit, 
largely used in Chinese cookery, and for medicinal purposes. /. 
religosum, a sacred Japanese variety, used in funeral decorations 
and for burning as incense. /. jioridanum, from Texas, bears red 
scented flowers. The leaves when bruised exhale a powerful aro- 
matic odour. 

I matophyllum. — A sx^ecies of Amaryllis. 

Indigofera fragrans. — A variety of Indian shrubs, bearing scented 
purple flowers. 

Inula odora (Ploughman^ s S2nhenard). — A hardy herbaceous perennial, 
one of an extensive family ; native of the South of Europe, with a 
pleasing aromatic smell in both leaves and flowers. 

Ipomcea (Morning Glory). — A tropical climber of the Convolvulus 
family, bearing beautiful trumpet-shaped blooms of the most bril- 
liant colours imaginable. In their native habitat the plant is of 
rapid growth, and covers large spaces in a short time ; the foliage 
also is attractive. Many varieties are sweetly scented, others have 
no trace of this favour. I. Bona Nox is an Eastern species that 
produces white fragrant flowers which open at sunset and droop at 
sunrise. 

Iris. — Most of the Iris are natives of Europe, China, Japan, the Nortli 
of India, and the temperate regions of Asia and Africa. Several 
are quite hardy, and not a few hail from Siberia, while Russia, 
Germany, Hungary, Turkey, Spain, and Persia have all contributed 
to our rich collections which have been in process of enlargement 
for over three hundred years. 

No hardy border flowers are more showy, or have a more pleasing 
appearance than the many fine varieties of bulbous Iris that possess 
a dainty perfume. To compare them to a mass of Orchids hardly 
does them justice, for, excepting the Lcelias and Cattleyas which we 
see exhibited, none of the Orchids can approach them in the gor- 
geousness of their colours ; while the quaint form and rich per- 
fume render many of them equal in interest and beauty. They 
are suitable for beds, and form a striking combination when 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



planted in clumps among evergreens. They are also remarkable 
as being one of the very few excellent hardy flowers that success- 
fully resist the dust and smoke of even the largest cities. 

The division of the tribe comm.only known as the Spanish Iris, 
with its crisply formed flowers, quaint in form as Gothic carvings, 
and at the same time the dazzling rich mixture of colouring of the 
hundred varieties, render it a charming feature in a June garden. 

The varieties of the Japanese species are most valuable. They 
have handsome, green, lanceolate leaves, spreading in a pleasing 
fan-like outline. Their large Clematis-like flowers are perfectly 
distinct from all others. They are very freely produced in the 
brightest and most pleasing arrangement of colours. Tlie following 
dainty kinds are all exquisitely scented : — 

/. Balceriana, strongly perfumed. /. Barnumce^jeWow^ an ex- 
ceedingly charming variety, with a deliciously fragrant odour, not 
unlike the Lily of the Valley. /. Florentina, white, blue, and yellow, 
violet-scented ; the Orris root of commerce is produced by this 
plant, and is extensively cultivated in Italy ; it exhales when dry a 
delightful fragrance, rendering it very useful for scenting toilet 
and tooth powders. /. gramincEa, I. pallida, pale, blue, and yellow, 
with the odour of Orange-blossoms. /. Persica, the Persian Iris, 
a jumble of delicate colours, and sweetly perfumed. /, stylosa, a 
delicately beautiful and fragrant variety, flowering in winter. 
I. Buthenisa, I. virescens, I. Histrie, I. Monnieri, and /. verncb an 
American variety. /. reticulata, a very pretty type, rich in colour, 
and as fragrant as a bunch of Violets ; a few clumps will pervade' 
the whole garden with a rich odour. 
Ismene. — A bulbous class of beautiful flowering plants from South 
America. In the way of Eucharis Amazonica, many of them are 
quite equal to that queenly flower, in the size, purity, and substance 
of their blossoms, of the most elegant form, occasionally marked with 
delicate emerald-green stripes, and delightfully scented. These 
fine plants are a source of ornament to our stoves, their pure 
white fragrant flowers being a delight to every one. Man}^ kinds 
are to be found in the borders at Kew ; those having the opportunity 
of visiting these public gardens can, in the season, feast their vision 
with the beauty thus distributed. They are, for the most part, 
evergreen bulbs, and the great majority of them have pure 
white flowers, yielding a most grateful perfume. They have long 
slender tubes, and one or two flowers arranged with fern in a small 
glass afl'ords a chaste and graceful adjunct to a sitting room or sick 
chamber, the fragrance yielded by them being strong, but most 
pleasurable and desirable. /. Amancaes, rich yellow, striped green, 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



59 



is a delightful species, and so is 7. calathinum, the sea Daffodil, a 
pretty greenhouse variety with pure white fragrant flowers. 

Itea virginica. — One of the prettiest of American deciduous shrubs, 
but little known. It grows from four feet high, and produces 
numerous racemes of pure white flowers during J une, which have 
a delicious fragrance, not unlike the ordinary Pond Lily. The 
foliage and stem turn to a beautiful red during the autumn. 

Ixia. — A species of South African bulbous plants, that yield an abund- 
ance of richly-coloured flowers in the most exquisite contrasts, that 
are invaluable for cutting and vase decoration. Unfortunately 
they possess little scented attractions ; the double flowering scarlet 
variety, however, is sweetly fragrant. 

Ixora laxifolia. — A variety of an extensive class of tropical evergreen 
flowering shrubs from Java, with rosy pink flowers borne in clusters 
and pleasingly scented. I. odor at a, from Madagascar, bears creamy 
rose flowers similarly attractive. 

Jaborosa integrifolia. — A South American perennial plant bearing 
long and handsome tubular flowers. 

' Sweet Jessamine, with which the queen of flowers, 
To charm her god adorns his favourite bowers. 
Perfumed as incense of the morn, and chaste 
As the pure zone which circles Diana's waist.' — Churchill. 

Jasminum officinale. — The elegant and fragrant sweet Jessamine or 
Jasmine, the emblem of amiability, is always acceptable wherever 
we meet it. Originally a native of India, its beauties have gone 
forth to every clime, and we now find it gracing both the garden 
of the rich and poor, in the bosom of the village lass, and the 
Oriental vase of the saloon. Its modesty pleases, its fragrance 
charms, and it is indeed a favourite with all. The pretty face of 
the Jasmine flower is only surpassed in elegance by the fair whose 
countenance is brightened with purity and love. 

In Italy it is woven into bridal wreaths and used on all festive 
occasions. There is a proverbial saying there, that she who is 
worthy of being decorated with J essamine is rich enough for any 
husband. Its first introduction into that sunny land is thus 
told. A certain Duke of Tuscany, the first possessor of a plant, 
wished to preserve it as a novelty, and forbade his gardener 
to give away a single sprig of it, but the gardener being a more 
faithful lover than servant, was more willing to please a young 
mistress than an old master, presented the young girl with a branch 
of Jessamine on her birthday. She planted it in the ground, it 
took root, grew, and blossomed, and multiplied so much under the 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



maiden's cultivation, that she was able to amass a fortune from the 
sale of the precious gift which love had made her, when with a 
sprig in her breast she bestowed her hand and her wealth on the 
happy gardener of her heart. 

Ancient authors appear to have taken but little notice of its 
charms. Dioscorides, however, tells us that the Persians obtained 
an oil from a white flower with which they perfumed their apart- 
ments during the repasts, and it is probable he only became 
acquainted with the J essamine from his attendance as a physician 
on Anthony and Cleopatra in Egypt, whose unbounded luxury would 
naturally cull this essence from the land of odours. 

The Hindus, who use odoriferous flowers in their sacrifices, par- 
ticularly value the Jessamine, and they are also largely employed 
strung together as neck garlands, whilst in our own country it is a 
common custom for the bride to wear a coronet of Jessamine and 
Orange-blossom intermingled, as an elegant indication of chastity 
and grace. 

The supple and pliant branches of the Jessamine accommodate 
themselves to numerous situations, and run gaily wild over trellised 
arches, dead walls, or over the shrubs in wilderness walks ; under 
trained culture they make bushy shrubs for beds and borders where 
in the morning and evening their star-topped tubes send forth a 
shower of odours that embalm, refresh, and purify the surround- 
ing air. 

There are several other beautifully-scented forms, amongst which 
we may find a place for the following : — /. humile, the Italian 
J essamine, with large yellow flowers, deliciously fragrant ; the 
Spanish Jessamine, with tubular flowers, white within and blush- 
red without ; the Arabian Jessamine, /. sambac, flowers single and 
double, white, with a most exquisite fragrance ; the curled flowered 
variety, /. revolutimi, with yellow flowers ; /. gracillimum, white ; 
J. niidijiorum, with its dainty yellow blossoms that peep out in 
winter and spring like a golden shower before the warmth of 
spring has induced the leaves to show themselves ; /. grandiflorum, 
both double and single forms, and this variety retains its delicate 
odour when dried. 

The poets, of course, have a deal to say in its praises. Spenser, 
in his happiest mood, writes : — 

* Young blossomed Jessamines ; 
Sucli fragrant flowers do give most odorous smell. ' 

'The twining Jasmine and the blushing Rose, 
With lavish grace their morning scent disclose,' — Prior, 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



6i 



Shenstone's lines must have come most truly from his heart : — 

' Come, gentle air ! and while the thickets bloom 

Convey the Jasmine's breatli divine. 
Convey the Woodbine's rich perfume, 
Nor spare the sweet-leaved Eglantine.' 

Miss Landon daintily portrays its beauty thus : — 

' Jasmines — lilce some silver spray, 
Some like gold in the morning gray, 
Fragrant stars, and favourites they.' 

' Oh, the faint, sweet smell of the Jasmine flower.' — Lord Lytton. 

It seems a remarkable fact that from the odours already known, 
says Mr. Piesse, the smell of any flower may be produced by 
uniting their essences in proper proportion, except the Jasmine ; 
and in this connection Charles Dickens in Household Words 
observes: — 'Is Jasmine then the mystical Morn — the centre, the 
Delphi, the Omphalos of the floral world? Is it the point of 
departure, the one unapproachable and indivisible unit of frag- 
rance ? Is Jasmine the Isis of flowers, with veiled face and covered 
feet, to be loved of all yet discovered by none ? Beautiful Jasmine ! 
If it be so, the Rose ought to be dethroned and the Inimitable 
enthroned in her stead ; suppose we create a civil war among the 
gardens and crown the Jasmine empress and queen of all.' 
Jonesia Asoca. — An Indian flowering evergreen tree, with orange- 
scarlet blossoms that are sweet-scented. During the Hindu festi- 
vals the women decorate their jet-black hair with bunches of this 
elegant flower, and it is impossible to imagine a more delightful 
efi'ect. 

Jonquil. See Narcissus. 

Juglans regia {Walnut).— A. deciduous fruiting tree from South 
Europe, now acclimatised in England. The leaves possess a 
peculiar smell, particularly noticeable when they are bruised ; and 
it is said this aroma is injurious to sensitive people. 

Juniperus Sabina (Savin). — This shrubby bush has a distinct and 
powerful odour in common with many of the Coniferce, and 
it is worthy of special mention, because it comes in admirably 
amongst our subjects, whilst in its graceful, plumy style of growth 
and spreading habit it diff'ers so much from its kindred. It 
can be planted in large groups near much-frequented spots, as 
its low growth keeps it within bounds, w^hilst banks and stony 
slopes clothed in its perpetual verdure are adorned most grace- 
fully- 



62 



AN ALPHABETICAL LLST OF 



Ksempferia. — A genus of East Indian lierbs containing several species 
with tuberous roots. K. rotunda, beiiring wliite and violet flowers 
before tlie leaves, is a dainty var:e:y wliich diffuses a most exquisite 
fragrance around ; the flowers open in tlie morning and fade away 
towards evening. K. galango. has scented roots. 

Kalanichoe carnea. — An exceedingly userr.l v inter -blooming perennial 
plant from the Tropics. The flowers are blush-white, sweetly- 
scented, and borne in wax-like clusters, in close resemblance to the 
white Jasmine. Small pieces are largely employed for buttonhole 
bouquets, the perfume being very acceptable. 

Kalosanthes. — A genus of succulent j)lants mostly from South Africa 
— both annuals and perennials. Amongst the annual kinds K. 
mosdiata is perhaps the most attractive as a scented variety. K. 
coccinea, magenta-flowered, belongs to the perennial class, and 
emits a peculiar fragrance from its jDretty heads of glabrous bloom, 
very similar to the po^Dular scented sweetmeats called peardrojDs. 
They will thrive well under ordinaiy grc-r_r_ :r.^e treatment, and 
when in flower present the most brilliant si^i;t imaginable. Also 
known under the name of Crassula. 

Kayea stylosa. — An evergreen tree from Ceylon, bearing strongly- 
scented flovrers. 

Kleinhovia hospita. — A shrubby tree from the Str : '"^ ' ; -rlements, the 
leaves when bruised give off an odour resembiir_ ^ i:'-r:s. 

Laburnum, or to be strictly botanical. Cytisus Laburnum. — A British 
deciduous tree, bearing graceful racemes of golden-yellow or 
white flowers, possessing a delicate fragrance, which is more pro- 
nounced in some varieties than others, notably i. aJpinum fragrans 
and L. vidgare fragrans. 

Lachenalia [Caije Coirilip). — A tuberous-rooted flowering plant from 
South Africa, for greenhouse culture. L. contaminata has pretty 
spikes of pale rose-coloured flowers, smelling of Heliotrope. L. 
fragrans, pure white, also bears out its name. L. /r: - r- r r.^y- 
white. The flowers are numerous, some self forms, white, pink, 
and red ; but most of them have several colours, as scarlet and 
yellow, yellow and red, white and pink, white and green, etc. 
The leaves of the Lachenalia are only of secondary interest to 
the flowers, and are generally long and narrow dark-green and 
spotted with dark-brown or purple, which adds much to their 
interest. 

Laelia. See Orchids. 

Lagerstroemia parviflora. — An Indian tree, bearing white fragrant 
flowers. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



63 



Lantana. — A species of flowering greenhouse plants, mostly natives 
of Central America, and very serviceable for decorative purposes ; 
unfortunately many of them possess such a disagreeable odour that 
they can never become popular ; the white variety, L. alha, how- 
ever, emits a sweet spicy fragrance, somewhat like sage, rendering 
it worthy of extended culture. 

Lastrea montana (Lemon - scented Buckler Fern). — This charming 
species is one of the few of our British Ferns that possess a 
fragrance. Although now somewhat scarce, it was very widely 
dispersed over the country, its chief habitat seems to be the 
hill-sides in the Lake Districts, w^here it is eagerly sought 
after by ardent amateur collectors. L. JEmiila {The Hay -scented 
Fern) is a graceful evergreen variety, also with a wide dis- 
tribution throughout Britain ; the fronds are powerfully scented 
like new hay, by which pleasing feature it may be readily dis- 
tinguished. 

Lathyrus odoratus (Sweet- Pea). — This delightful annual, originally 
from the island of Sicily, is now largely grown in all gardens 
where ornamental cut flowers are in demand, and the efi'ect they 
create Avhen artistically arranged in vases or glasses for the adorn- 
ment of the table is positively charming. They have been greatly 
improved during recent years, and some very beautiful colours are 
now obtainable, which possess also the additional advantage of 
being strongly perfumed. The Sweet Pea is the emblem of delicate 
pleasures, and is now so universally admired and so easily culti- 
vated that it is met with in almost every garden, where it equally 
dispenses its fragrant odours without regarding the rank of its 
possessor. The perfume of this elegant flower, although delightful 
in the open, sometimes becomes oppressive when confined in close 
apartments, its fragrance is similar to that of Orange blossoms 
with a dainty touch of the rose ; the blossoms are remarkable for 
their elegant negligence in shape, and delicacy and richness of 
colouring. Nature seems to have dressed theni as a model for the 
harmonising of colours, and they are justly termed Papilionaceous, 
for do they not indeed closely resemble butterflies turned into 
flowers ; in short, it seems scarcely possible not to feel this, they 
seem only lingering to sip their own honey. 

Keats must have had his fancies in this direction when he penned 
the following lines : — 

' Here are Sweet Peas on tip-toe for a fliglit, 
With wings of gentle flush, o'er delicate white, 
And taper fingers catching at all things 
To bind them all about with tiny rings.' 



64 



AN ALPHABETICAL LLST OF 



Cowper too must have been particularly struck with their idea of 
natural liberty, when so disposed that they 

' Catcli tlie neiglibomiug slirub 

Witli clasping tendrils, and infest his branch, 

Else unadorned, with many a gay festoon, 

And fragrant chaplet, recompensing ^Yell 

The strength they borro^A', Trith the grace they lend.' 

Laurelia. — A genus of tall-growing trees, one species being found in 
Chili, the other in New Zealand ; the leaves exhale a powerful 
aromatic odour when bruised. The seeds of the South American 
variety are largely used as a spice. 

Laurus nobilis {Siceet Bay). — A shrubby tree from South Europe, now 
largely grown in British gardens for its dainty leaves, which possess 
an agreeable fragrance, and are largely used for flavouring purposes. 
It grows luxuriantly in most soils, and is decidedly ornamental. 

Laurus sassafras. — A hardy deciduous tree of the Laurel family from 
North America. The leaves are pleasantly fragrant, and the bark 
powerfully aromatic. 

Lavandula vera {Siceet Lavender). — A shrubby 'plant, cultivated in 
large areas all over the world for its agreeable perfume and the 
valuable essence that is extracted therefrom. It is supposed to have 
been the spikenard of the ancients, and at the time of Pliny the 
flowers were used in baths and laid in wardrobes, giving a most 
agreeable perfume to the garments. There seems little doubt of its 
being a plant under notice for its usefulness in all ages. 

It appears to have been largely grown in our own country during 
Queen Elizabeth's time, for no less than six varieties are spoken of 
by Gerard, who had an important garden in London at that date, 
and he used it extensively as a medicine for many ailments. We 
have already learnt Lord Bacon's opinion upon the healthful influ- 
ence of sweet odours, and such valuable testimony should induce 
us to plant Lavender everywhere in our gardens, where its elegance 
in habit is pleasing and its spikes give an agreeable scent, and the 
older the shrub gets the richer is its fragrance. The delicacy of its 
blossoms is said to have given name to the colour that is the gayest 
worn by our fair young Quakers, and it is still a common practice to 
scatter the flowers over linen, whilst the stalks, if burnt, difl'use an 
agreeable but powerful odour. In London it becomes a kind of rural 
pleasure to hear the cry of ' Three bunches a penny, sweet Lavender.' 

'And Lavender, whose spikes of azure bloom 
Shall be erewhile in arid bundles bound, 
To lurk amidst her labours of the loom. 
And crown her kerchiefs clean with rnickle rare perfume.' 

— Shenstone, 



9 




S WEE T-SMELLING PL A NTS 



65 



Lavender water, although it is really spirits of wine impregnated 
with the oil of Lavender, is one of our most common perfumes. 

It is not generally known that the Queen is a great believer in 
Lavender as a disinfectant, and that she is not at all singular in 
her faith in this plant. Of course, it is not used in the simple, 
homely fashion, which consists in tying up the blossom in silken 
bags. The Lavender, to be efficacious as a deodoriser, must be 
distilled, and the essential oil only used for the purpose. The 
royal residences are strongly impregnated with the refreshing odour 
of this old-fashioned flower, and there is no perfume that the Queen 
likes better than Lavender-water, which, together with the oil for 
disinfecting purposes, Her Majesty has direct from a lady who 
distils it herself. 

The best Lavender is produced in England, at Mitcham in 
Surrey, where it forms a large industry, it is also extensively 
grown near Hitchin and in Cambridgeshire ; even our cousins in 
Australia are now cultivating large breadths, and in this connection 
it may not be out of place to mark their experience with the 
plant. In reporting a visit to the Government Scented Plant 
Farm at Dunolly, Victoria, in 1892, the Melbourne Leader states : — 

' This farm should be the subject of interest to every member of the 
community, and it is to be hoped will eventually become an object lesson 
which will bring home to the minds of a large section of the population 
the opportunities which await them of making profit out of what is now 
grown merely for ornamental purposes. . . . Two sorts of Lavender are 
here grown, Vera and Spike Lavender, the former being the most valu- 
able. As Lavender enters largely into the composition of a good number 
of perfumes it will be extensively cultivated ; the oil at present is worth 
about 10s. per pound.' 

Here then it seems that our own colonies are likely to achieve 
great fame in the culture of dainty- scented plants. L, spica is a 
coarser species, used for the commoner purposes ; whilst L. sfa^chas 
has a dainty odour and would yield a delightful fragrance, but it is 
scarce ; it is used in Spain on festival days strewn about the floors. 
There are quite a dozen other kinds, including one with a delicate 
white flower, but those we have named are the most powerfully 
perfumed. 

The whole group are increased by seeds or cuttings, the soil that 
produces the best returns is a light and dry formation : if put on 
strong land, the robust gro^^i;h interferes with their odoriferous 
properties. 

Lawrencella rosea.— A composite annual from V^'^est Australia with 
fragrant leaves. 

E 



66 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Lawsonia inermis (Henna, Campliire). — A tropical shrub, mostly 
found in India, and held in high esteem iu Oriental lands on 
account of the dainty odour it exhales, and from this pleasing fact 
it is largely employed for garden hedges. Hindu girls rub the 
leaves on the palms of their hands, the tips of their fingers, and 
the soles of their feet to give them a red and scented dye ; it is 
also an indispensable article for the toilet. In Egypt sprigs of 
Henna are sold in the streets with the cr}' of ^ odours of Paradise ; 
flowers of the Henna ! ' Thomas Moore alludes to one of the 
uses of this deliciously fragrant plant : — 

' Then bring some leaves of Henna to imbue 
The finger-ends of a bright roseate line, 
So bright, that in the mirror's depths they s^eem 
Like odorous coral branches in the stream. ' 

Lemonia trifoliata. — An ornamental variety of the Orange family, 
with handsome foliage and white fragrant flowers, succeeded by 
bright orange-red fruit. 

Lemon plant. See Aloysia. 

Leptadenia Manni. — A West African shrub, with white scented 
flowers. 

Leptosiphon androsaceus. — A dainty little annual, bearing a pro- 
fusion of flowers in many colours, richly scented in the morning. 

Leucocoryne odorata. — A charming dwarf bulbous plant from Chili, 
with lavender sweet-scented heads of bloom. 

Leucocrinum montana. — A bulbous plant with snow-white fragrant 
flowers. 

Leucojum vernum (Spring Snoii-flake). — A pretty spring-flowering 
bulbous plant, with leaves like the Hyacinth and white Snowdrop- 
like flowers borne on long stalks in clusters, very graceful, with 
the fragrance of the Violet, whence the name Leucojum, meaning 
white Violet. It has been styled The Bulbous Violet, nearly all 
the species being fragrant, some of them deliciously so. Should be 
planted freely in clumps in hardy borders, rock-work, shrubberies, 
and the wild garden. L, Ca'/yatJiicum is also scented. 

Leucospermum candicans. — A small and compact evergreen shrub, 
bearing yellow flowers which have a slight scent resembling that of 
the Rose. 

Liatris odoratissima (Vanilla Plant). — A hardy Xorth American 
evergreen plant that thrives, in swampy ground ; the fresh leaves 
when newly crushed emit a disagreeable odour, but as they wither 
this characteristic becomes highly fragrant, somewhat resembling 
the Tonga Bean or similar to the Sweet Vernal Grass, only stronger. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



67 



They are largely employed for flavouring cigars. Although called 

Vanilla plant it has no connection with the Vanilla of commerce. 
Ligusticum Ajowan. — An annual from Central Europe, possessing a 

Thyme-like odour in its leaves. 
Ligustrum Quihoi. — x\ Chinese variety of the common Privet, bearing 

in the autumn loose panicles of white strongly scented flowers. 
Lilac. See Syringa. 

Lilium {Lily). — From the time of Solomon to the present day the 
beauty and delicacy of the Lily has been celebrated in all ages. 

' The Lily's height bespake command, 

A perfumed fairy flower ; 
She seemed designed for Flora's hand, 
The sceptre of her power.' 

It represents a grand and much admired genus of bulbous plants from 
many parts of the world. A large number of important additions 
have been made in recent years to the genus both in species and 
varieties. Most are hardy in any part of this country, and perhaps 
all are so in the best favoured districts. Their stately style, and 
elegant, gaily coloured, and often perfumed flowers are becoming 
better known and appreciated ; and the genus is doubtless destined 
in the future to perform an important j)art in the hardy flower 
garden. All nations agree in making the Lily the symbol of purity 
and modesty ; it is the fit attribute of beauty. The heathen 
nations held it in such high regard as to consecrate its glorious 
attractions to Juno, of whom it is said that ' from the milk of her 
breasts sprang this beautiful flower.' It was largely employed 
throughout the times of the Greeks and Romans in all their 
festivals. The Greeks placed crowns of Lilies upon the heads of 
their brides as emblems of purity and abundance ; the Romans 
regarded it with equal admiration. By whom and at what period, 
however, it found its way into England we cannot with certainty 
say ; but it was probably one of the plants which we gained from 
Palestine by means of the early Crusaders. The common hardy 
garden Lily {L. candidum), with large white diverging blossoms, 
most odorous and beautiful, well deserves the title of the Madonna 
Lily. 

It is peerless in purity, beauty, and honey-like fragrance while 
it lasts. It is as efi"ective for back rows of ribbons, centres to 
foliage and other plants, as on the old herbaceous beds or borders. 
It is indeed worthy of a place in every garden. For a time they 
fill all eyes, and, as it were, obscure by their superior beauty all 
else. 

It will be questioned by none that L, auratiim is one of the 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIS! OF 



most magnificent varieties in cultivation, and has clone more to 
popularise Lily -grooving, and create an enthusiasm for these flowers 
than all that has CA'er been written or said on tlieii^ behalf. It was 
only necessarj^ to look upon the beauty and enjoy the fragrance of 
this golden-rayed visitor from Japan, where it is held in high 
honour, to be smitten with tlie Lily fcA'er. Another source of the 
captivating power of this Lily lies in its endless sports and develop- 
ments into new forms. These are distinct and permanent, so that 
the growers of a goodly number of L, auratum may be said to grow 
a considerable collection of distinct sub-species and varieties, all 
sprmging from this one glorious parent. 

The Longifiorinn Lilies, also, cannot be excelled. Theii' immense 
trumpet blooms of snow-like pmity and delicious fragrance are 
only equalled as types of massive and graceful beauty by the 
Amazonian Lily [Eii<:liari^). and higher praise it is impossible to 
give them. 

L. giganteum. a giant Indian species, with large heads of 
magnificent flowers of a fine white striped reddish violet at the 
base, and of the most powerful fragrance, is nearly hardy, requh--- 
ing a shaded situation and only slight protection for the young 
gTOwth against frosts and winds in sprmg. The large, beautiful, 
and persistent foliage of this superb Lily entitles it to a first place 
as an ornamental plant, and amply repays for delay in coming to 
a flowering state. 

Dr. Wallace, a great authority on Lilies, divides the soil for 
Lilies into light, heavy, and peaty. Those, he says, which do best 
on peaty soils are the Umbellatum section, including Bulbiferiun, 
Croceum, DaAniricum, and tlieir varieties ; Concolor, Thimber- 
gianmn, and their varieties ; Candidum, Longiflorum, Chalcedoni- 
cum, Pj^renaicimi, and the Speciosum grotip. Those that succeed 
best on hea^^' soils are the Martagons, Aurattnns, and Tigers ; and 
to these may be added Giganteum, Brownii, Krameri, Szovitzianimi, 
Washmgtonianum, Humboldtii, and Testaceum. Those that thrive 
on moist peaty soil are Catesbiei, Philadelphicum, the Canadian 
group, Pardalinum, Pardum, Tenuifolia, and Leichtlinii. It has, 
however, been found that L. aiiratuin does remarkably well planted 
in beds of pure peat between Rhododendrons and other American 
plants. 

Lilies are beautiful mixed border subjects, the taller species 
being fine background plants, and the dwarfer ones are equally 
telling and desirable in mixed arrangements. The strong gTowers 
are also beautiful objects when planted amongst dwarf shi^ubs in 
such a way that tlieir inflorescence may be seen overtopping the 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



69 



shrubs. And they are so easy to cultivate m any position that 
there is no obstacle in the way of their being generally adopted for 
any of the purposes indicated. 

Amongst other varieties that possess special scented attractions 
may be named the following : — L, Parryi^ L. WalUcJiianum, L. 
Washingtoniamun, L. Harrisii, L. Chalcedoniciun, L. odoriun, L. 
Neilgherrense, L. Szovifzianum, L. Japonicum, L. ruhescens, L. 
speciosum, L. ochroleucum^ L. Ulceyuri. 

From a scented point of view it seems remarkable our poets 
should have so little to say of its attractions. Smart, however, has 
left us the following dainty lines : — 

' Sweet Hermon's fragrant air ; 
Sweet is the Lily's silver bell, 
And sweet the wakeful tapers smell, 
That watch for early prayer. ' 

Again, Armstrong leaves an image which 

' In virgin beauty blows, 
The tender Lily languishingly sweet.' 

Lily of the Valley. See Convallaria. 
Lime. See Tilia. 

Limnanthes Douglasi. — A hardy annual from California, with fragrant 
flowers, the honey from which is greatly ap)preciated by bees. 

Limnophila gratioloides. — An Indian aquatic, with an agreeable odour 
something like Camphor. 

Lindheimina taxana. See Orchids. 

Lindleya mesphiloides. — An evergreen Mexican shrub, bearing large 
white sweet-scented flowers. 

Lindsaea cultrata. — A species of the Adiantum Fern from Guiana, 
with pinnate fronds strongly scented like the Sweet Vernal Grass, 
which it retains when dried. 

Linnaea borealis [Twin Flower). — A modest North European shrubby 
plant, with pretty bell-shaped flowers, borne in pairs, that are very 
fragrant, resembling Almonds. It shrinks from exposure to the 
view, and thrives in woodland places that have not been disturbed 
by the hand of man. The following tale is told of Linnaeus in con- 
nection with this plant : — 'A friend gathering a small flower on the 
shores of a Swedish lake asked the great botanist if it was Linncea 
Ijorealis. '* Nay ! " says the philosopher, she lives not here, but in 
the middle of our largest woods. She clings with her little arms to 
the moss, and seems to resist very gently if you force her from it. 
She has a complexion like the milk -maid ; and oh ! she is very, 
very sweet and agreeable. " ' 

Liriodendron tulipifera (Tulip Tree).— A handsome North American 



70 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



tree, bearing large ciip-sliaped yellow flowers, delicately scented. 
The foliage assumes a lovely colour in Autumn. 

Lobelia radicans. — An herbaceous perennial trailing plant from the East, 
with pale violet flowers, having a pleasant Almond-like fragrance. 

Lonicera {Ca'prijoUs or Honey sucJde family). — A group of shrubs 
or herbs, often twining ; natives of the temperate zone throughout 
the Northern Hemisphere. The common representative of the family 
is a very familiar British hedgerow plant, the flowers of which have 
always been held in the highest esteem for ages, on account of their 
modest colour and delicate fragrance, which perfumes the air to a 
great distance morning and evening. Xo flowers — not even the 
Violet — ^possess such a delightful odour as those of the Honej'suckle. 
To this must be attributed the affection which ]3oets and prose 
writers have manifested towards it from the earliest ages to the 
present time. Another common name by which it is known is the 
Woodbine, because it winds itself as it were in wedlock to every 
tree and shrub growing near, and which it graces by its well 
attired branches in retm^n for the support it borrows ; from hence 
it is styled * The Bond of Love.' 

' The "Woodbines mix in am'rous play, 
And breathe their fragrant leaves away.' 

This climbing plant always turns from east to west, and so firmly 
does it embrace its sui3X3orter that we often see young trees and 
branches indented like a screw by the pressure. 

'By rustic seat or garden bower, 
There 's not a leaf, or shrub, or flower. 
Blossoms on bush so sweet as thee, 
Lowly but fragrant Honey tree.'— Mott. 

Apart from poetry and romance, the common Honej'suckle is 
really a delightful plant to grow in our gardens. In saying so 
much, however, we must not forget to add that it delights in pure 
fresh air, such as it gets in its native hedgerows, and therefore 
cannot be induced to make itself at home in the town garden. In 
the distant suburbs or in the country it will invariably thrive 
luxuriantly, twining its stems affectionately roimd a porch, or 
arbour, or tree stump, and yielding its sweetly scented blossom in 
abundance during summer and autumn, and the perfume of the 
Honeysuckle is of a most agreeal)le kind. 

' And now into the fields I go 
Where thousand flaming flowers grow. 
And every neighbouring hedge I greet 
With Honeysuckle smelling sweet.'— Dyer. 

There are several varieties of the Honeysuckle which are grown in 



SIVEET-SMELLIXG PLANTS 



71 



gardens. The Dutch (L. ^jerklymenum), for instance, blooms earlier 
in the year than the common kind, and its flowers are larger, of a 
creamy colour, and possessed of delicious fragrance towards even- 
ing. The late Dutch (Z. ^j. serotinum) hears reddish flowers late 
in summer and autunm, but otherwise is equally as good as the 
early kind. Closely allied to these is the Goat -leaf Honeysuckle 
[L. cap'nfolium), so named because goats are fond of its leaves. 
It is occasionally seen growing wild in chalk}' districts, but, as a 
rule is cultivated in gardens, where its robust habit of growth 
makes it a popular plant for covering arbours, porches, or trellises. 
For seaside gardens it is the best of the family. We have seen it 
growing very freely in Brighton. The flowers are borne in trusses 
throughout the summer and are most fragrant. 

' The Woodbine spires are wafted abroad 
And the mnsk of their Roses blown.' — Tennyson. 

The fragrant Honeysuckle, L. f/xigranfissima, and the Chinese 
Honeysuckle, L. hrachi/poda, are also desirable species. The former 
bears white fragrant flowers in February, and the latter, yellow 
flowers from May to October. Both are somewhat tender and 
require to be grown against a warm wall, trellis, or fence. Another 
winter Honeysuckle (L. Standislii) bears deliciously-scented white 
blossoms. 

There is often a good deal of confusion between the two winter- 
flowering species, of which Standi-shi is of quite slu-ab-like habit, 
with the yotmg leaves hahy, and almost if not quite deciduous, 
while L. fragrantissima, on the other hand, is more of a rambling 
grower with smooth leaves, which are for the greater part retained 
throughout the winter. The prettily-variegated Honeysuckle with 
golden foliage, that is freqttently gro^vn against walls, is a variety of 
L. hrachypoda, its coiTect name being Z. b. anyta yt'icuhda. This 
kind is grown more for the sake of its showy foliage than its flowers : 
other scented kinds incltide L. Jcqjonica, L. efrii-sca, L. flava and 
L. acuminata. All these are decidtiotis, though occasionally the 
variegated kind retains the greater part of its foliage throughout 
winter. 

Lotus odoratus, Lotus corniculatus [Birdsfoot Trefoil).— X variety 
of Clover, with scented yellow flowers. The seed -pods that follow 
the bloom are exactly like a bull's foot, hence its counnon name ; 
it is found growing wild in all light soils throughout Great Britain. 
Bees are very fond of it, as the flowers are full of honey. 

Loureira Cochin Chinensis.— A shrubby tree from Eastern Asia, with 
flowers and foliage both sweet and aromatic. 



72 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Luculia gratissima. — A Northern Indian flowering shrubby tree, 
truly Oriental in its characteristics, bearing clusters of pale rosy- 
coloured flowers, deliciously fragrant, which load the atmosphere 
with a most agreeable odour. 

Lupinus luteus (Yellow Lupin). — A common hardy annual, bearing 
canary yellow Pea- like blossoms, in long spikes, that have a scent 
resembling Cowslips. The tree Lupin, L. arboreits, a noble ever- 
green shrub, bears a profusion of fragrant yellow and lilac flowers. 
Honey-scented. L. suhcarnosiis, the blue Texan Lupin, is also 
deliciously fragrant. 

Luvunga scandens. — A climbing shrub from Northern India, bearing 
corymbs of deliciously fragrant white flowers that resemble the 
Orange in form and odour. 

Lycaste. See Orchids. 

Lychnis. — A tribe of hardy perennials, some of which are natives of 
Britain. The double white variety, L. vespertina plena, produces 
an abundance of pleasingly-scented blooms, that are very valuable 
for cutting purposes. 

Lyperia crocea. — A species of compact-growing shrubs from South 
Africa, bearing racemes of peculiarly-coloured flowers that exhale 
a sweet scent at the close of day. 

Macadamia ternifolia. — A North Australian nut-bearing shrub, with 

flowers that carry a delightful perfume. 
Manettia cordifolia [Madeira Vine). — A rapid-growing climber, bearing 

feathery white flowers, with a fragrance resembling Mignonette. 

* Where the musk of Magnolia hangs thick in the air, 
There is peace . . . though the quiet is Death.' — Harte. 

Magnolia. — A genus of highly ornamental-leaved trees, some ever- 
green, others deciduous, natives of the subtropical zone almost 
throughout the world, mostly, however, from Eastern Asia. The 
beauty of the flowers gives them the greatest claim to our 
regard in this list ; they are usually cup-shaped, generally white 
and exquisitely fragrant, combining the beauty of the Rose with the 
odour of the Lily ; in many varieties their perfume is over-powerful 
and exerts its influence a great distance away. They are generally 
cultivated in Britain as greenhouse plants, although some kinds will 
thrive out of doors in sheltered districts in the South. The most 
notable kinds are M. fuscata, M. jn^rjmrea, M. conspicua, M. tripe- 
tala, M. pumila, M. Gamphelli, M. Watsoni, M. obovata, M. grandi- 
flora, M. hypoleiica, M. exoniensis, M. salicifolia, M. auriculata, and 
M. acuminata. In some kinds, notably M. mlicifolia, the foliage is 



icent Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



73 



fragrant when bruised, whilst of the evergreen species M, grandi- 
Jlora, with Laurel-like foliage, possesses the greatest scented attrac- 
tions. The flow^ers of iV. conspicua are produced in the spring 
before there are any signs of leaves, 31. glaiica is the Sweet Bay of 
America, and M. Halleana stellata is a dwarf double flowering kind. 

* Faint was the air with the odorous breath of Magnolia blossoms.'— Longfellow. 

Maile (Vine of Hawaii). — A decorative plant, with bright green leaves, 
giving off a delicate perfume when crushed in the hand. 

Malva moschata {Musk Mallow), — A British perennial plant, with 
large white or pink flowers, delightfully scented. It is found along 
hedges and borders of fields, and derives its name from the musky 
odour given off by all parts of the. plant when in confined situations, 
particularly in warm dry weather. The white variety is the kind 
usually cultivated in gardens, and its dainty blossoms are exceed- 
ingly useful as cut flowers for vase decorations. 

Mandevilla suaveolens (Chili Jasmine). — A South American climbing 
shrub, one of the most chaste and beautiful climbers ^Ye. have ; it is 
a very rapid grower, with handsome foliage, graceful habit, and is 
completely covered with its snowy w^hite flowers through the 
spring and summer months ; the blossoms are produced in clusters, 
and are delightfully perfumed, like the Jasmine ; each flower 
measures about 2 J inches across, and somewhat resembles the single 
Petunia, but more beautifully formed. 

Manglietia insignis. — An Indian tree, bearing flesh-coloured sweet- 
smelling flow^ers. M. glauca, a yellow flowering variety, possessing 
similar attractions. 

Maranauthemum bifolia. — A rare liliaceous British plant, with white 
fragrant flowers. 

Marjoram. See Origanum. 

Marrubium vulgare (Horehound). — A common British perennial plant, 
the leaves when fresh ha\i.ng a strong aromatic smell, 

Martynia fragrans (Unicorn Plant). — A Mexican annual, occasionally 
seen in English gardens, the plant produces spikes of rich purple- 
red flow^ers streaked with yellow, exhaling a most delicious odour. 

Marvel of Peru. See Mirabilis. 

Matricaria. See Pyrethrum. 

Matthiola bicornis (Night-Scented Stock). A European annual, in- 
conspicuous in general beauty, but possessing charms that recom- 
mend its cultivation in every garden. Those wiio are in the habit 
of spending some portion of the summer evenings in the garden will 
appreciate the balmy odour given off by its brown- coloured flowers ; 
and it is not necessary to stoop in order to inhale the perfume, as 



74 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



it pervades the atmosphere for a distance around towards the close 
of the day and through the night, when it is simply delicious and 
widely diffused. When in flower they may be placed in a room, 
window, or the greenhouse, but in the event of their being used for 
the ornamentation of rooms, it must be borne in mind that their 
perfume is very powerful, and that where one would scent a room 
delightfully, half a dozen would give off a perfume which would be 
most oppressive. Other varieties possessing equal attractions are 
M. odoratissima, M. annua (the Ten-week Stock), M. incana (the 
Brompton Stock), a biennial variety, and several others. All are 
readily grown from seed, and the beautiful double forms of the 
flowering Stock family are worthy a prominent place in gardens 
where sweet blossoms are a desideratum. 

Mauritia carana. — A South American Palm. A whole acre of Mignon- 
ette would not emit more perfume than a single plant of the Fan 
Palm of the Rio Negro. In approaching one of these plants through 
the thick forest, the sense of hearing would, perhaps, give the first 
notice of its proximity, from the merry hum of winged insects, 
which its scented flowers had drawn together to feast on the honey, 
and to transport the pollen of the male to the female plants ; for it 
is chiefly dioecious species of Palms that have such sweet flowers. 

Maxillaria. See Orchids. 

Meadow-sweet. See Spiraea ulmaria :— 

' To nod from banks, from whence depend 
Rich cymes of fragrant Meadow-sweet ; 
Alas ! those creamy clusters lend 
A charm where death and ardour meet.'— Campbell. 

Mediocosma. See Acronychia. 

Megastigma Skinner i. — A fragrant Mexican shrub. 

Melaleuca minor. — An Australian flowering shrub, the leaves of which 

possess a powerful aromatic odour, and, when distilled, produce the 

Oil of Cajeput. 

Melia. — A genus of tropical shrubs or trees, originally from India, 
now found in many countries. If. Azedarach is a giant variety, 
bearing large bunches of lilac flowers emitting an agreeable perfume. 

Melicocca bijuga. — A Central American timber-producing tree, bear- 
ing honey-scented flowers and aromatic berries. 

Melilotus alba [BoJchara Clover). — An arborescent variety of Clover 
from Asia ; its uses with us are chiefly for bee-feeding, as they are 
extremely fond of the honey also found in the white bloom. It is 
a useful plant for flavouring hay, but its growth is so strong and 
fibrous that animals find it diflicult to masticate the woody pieces. 
Both the seed and dried leaves are highly scented. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



75 



Another plant diffusing a delightful odour while drying is the 
common Melilot [M. officinalis). This may be met with chiefly 
among bushes, and it often flowers in hedges at the sides of lanes 
and roads. The fragrance of this plant, though not quite so power- 
ful as that of the Sweet Woodrufi*, is equally lasting ; and when 
the sun, by absorbing its moisture, has withered its freshness and 
it appears almost dead, this quality is in perfection, making its 
presence valuable in hay that has been wetted, and here its aroma, 
which very much resembles the Sweet Vernal Grass, is productive 
in rendering an insipid article spicy and palatable. 
Melissa officinalis (Balm). — An herbiferous perennial from the South 
of Europe, and well known in our own gardens as an aromatic 
plant. It is also much liked by bees, and it is said if the swarms 
stray away they can be induced to return to their hive by the 
delicious attractions of the juice of the herb. Balm tea is to this 
day recommended by old country folk to cure all evils flesh is heir 
to. The variegated form makes a pretty border plant, and the 
delightful fragrance of its leaves after a shower of rain is very 
grateful. 

The Moldavian Balm and Balm of Gilead are varieties common 
both in cottage windows and in our gardens as possessing scented 
attractions in their leaves : — 

' The juice of Balm, a very precious flower 

As SAveet, as soft as air, as gentle.' — Shakespeare. 

Melitta Melissophyllum (Honey Balm). — A wild plant, found in some 
parts of the South of England, with scented attractions. 

Melodinus. — A genus of tropical climbing shrubs from Eastern Asia, 
with white, , sweet smelling star-formed. Jasmine-like flowers, fol- 
lowed by egg-shaped berries. 

Mentha (Mint). — A genus of herbaceous plants found in all temperate 
parts of the world ; they are either weeds or cultivated in the 
manipulation of valuable commercial commodities. The name is 
said to have arisen from Mintha, who was daughter of Cocytus, who, 
according to mythological history, was changed into this plant by 
Proserpine from motives of jealousy. The whole family possess- 
aromatic leaves, and amongst the most popular we mention the 
following, which are natives of Britain : — M. piperita, the Pepper- 
mint of commerce ; M. viridis, the common garden Mint, used in 
cookery ; M. pulegium, Pennyroyal ; M. citrata, the variety from 
which a sweet-smelling oil is extracted, in odour like oil of Berga- 
mot. M. Requieni is a fine rockwork plant, forming a dense carpet 
of fragrant foliage. In a wild state they are generally found in 
damp soils or on the fringe of ponds. 



76 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Meriandra Bengalensis (Bengcd Sage). — A herb used in India as a 
substitute for Sage, which it much resembles in habit and flavour. 

Mesembryanthemum fragrans.— An evergreen plant from South 
Africa, bearmg fragrant yellow flowers. 

Mesua ferrea. — A handsome Indian tree, bearing white fragrant 
flowers with yellow filaments, which possess medicinal properties, 
and according to native physicians are sold in the bazaars for 
sachets, as they retain a pleasing perfume in the dried state. 

Mezerion. See Daphne. 

Michelia Champaca. — An Indian tree sacred to one of the Hindu 
gods. It bears numerous pale lemon- coloured, tulip-shaped flowers, 
which emit for a wide distance around a most delicious fragrance, so 
strong that bees will seldom approach them. There are other 
varieties with scented bark and pleasing attractions. 

Micromelum interriginum. — An Indian shrub, bearing small greenish- 
white flowers, exceedingly fragrant, followed by orange berries 
which emit an overpowering fragrance when bruised. 

Micromeria. — A genus of perennial herbs from the Mediterranean 
region, bearing sx)ikes of bloom smelling in some varieties like 
Thyme, others like Mint. 

Mignonette. See Reseda. 

Mikania suaveolens. — A South American evergreen twiner, bearing 
panicles of white scented flowers. 

Milium effusum. — One of the handsomest of the British Grasses, with 
a dainty hay-like scent in the leaA'es. 

Milla biflora [Mexican Star) — allied to Triteleia. — A beautiful early 
summer-blooming bulb. Flowers star-shaped, clear waxy white, 
of great substance, and enlivened by a frost-like sparkle ; the 
fragrance is delightful. 

Cultivated in the open air they are useful in groups, masses, 
or beds by themselves, and still more so in conjunction with late 
Snowdrops, Scillas, Anemones, Arabis, Aubretias, and Forget-me- 
nots. The flower stems are so slender, the flowers so light, the 
colour so delicate, the leaves so graceful, that they are almost 
equally useful for mixing among or edging other spring flowers. 

Millingtonia hortensis. — An Eastern tree, bearing numberless panicles 
of large white flowers, emitting a delicious odour. 

Mimulus moschatus [Musk). — Although so common in Britain, this 
dainty herbaceous plant is a native of North America. Its tender 
green foliage and bright yellow flowers, in addition to the refreshing 
fragrance of its leaves, renders it exceedingly popular and attractive. 
It is a plant one is inclined to write a history about, but it, unfor- 
tunately, possesses none. Every one ought to grow it, as its ctilti- 



SWEET^SMELLING PLANTS 



77 



ration is so simple ; there are many beautiful and improved forms 
now to be had that demand the attention of all desiiing one of the 
best plants to grow for delicate scent. A successional supply may 
be maintained in the conservatory by starting, at intervals, a few 
plants in pots, and all window-boxes should contain a plant or two. 
A few good clumps may also be formed in the borders near the 
dwelling, and also near to summer-houses and outdoor retreats 
generally. The only points of importance are to pro^'ide it with 
good soil, and in the case of those in pots, to supply liberally with 
water. M, Harrisoni is a large flowering variety. M. monili- 
formes grows in the woods of California, and is strongly scented. 

Mimusops Elengi. — A hard- wooded tree from Ceylon, bearing highly 
fragrant flowers, largely used in perfumery. 

Mint. See Mentha. 

Mirabilis jalapa {Marvel of Peru). — A handsome herbaceous plant 
with tuberous roots, from the west of South America. It bears 
clusters of parti-coloured fragrant flowers, opening towards evening. 
M. longiflora is another variety with delightfully scented white 
tubular flowers which possess the odour of the Orange. 

Mitchella repens [Prjrtrifhje Berry). — A North American miniature 
shrub, bearing waxy, white, fragrant flowers, followed by a scarlet 
berry. 

Mock Orange. See Syringa, a'so Philadelphus. 

Mohria turifraga. — A South African rern,Mvitli scented attractions 

that gain for it the local name of Frankincense. 
Moluccella laevis [Molucca Balm). — A Syrian annual — the shell-like 

flowers when bruised emit a strong, but delightful fragrance of 

Balm. 

Monarda didyma {Bergamot). — The scarlet Monarda, an herbaceous 
peremiial introduced from North America. The whole plant is 
strongly impregnated with a delightful fragrance ; even after the 
darkly-coloured leaves have died away, the surface rootlets give 
off" the pleasant smell by which the plant has earned its common 
name. 

It is known in the United States as Oswego tea, and used to form 
a common beverage in many parts of that country. 

The crimson variety, M. f.-^tulosa, is also a delightful plant that 
recommends itself by the fragrance of its lovely foliage, and tufts of 
beautiful flowers, which cro^^Ti every branch from June to August ; 
the dainty blossoms will keep fresh for a long time in water, 
ornamenting the vase and perfuming the apartment by a refreshing 
odour ; there is also a purple and white variety possessing similar 
attractions. 



78 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Monardella macrantha. — A perennial from California, bearing orange- 
scarlet blossoms, highly fragrant. 
Moneses. ^ee Pyrola. 

Monimia. — A genus of shrubby trees from the Mauritius, bearing 

panicles of yellow, scented flowers. 
Monodora Myristica. — A West Indian tree, bearing large white and 

yellow sweetly-scented flowers. The seeds are also scented. 
Monsonia spinosa. — A shrubby plant from South Africa ; the growth 

emits an agreeable odour when burnt. 
Morenia fragrans.— A Peruvian Palm, with scented attractions. 
Mormodes. Bee Orchids. 

Morcea odora. — A South African bulbous plant belonging to the Iris 
family, bearing lilac, sweetly-scented bloom. 

Morrenia odorata. — A dwarf creeping plant from Argentina, with 
greenish sweet-smelling flowers. 

Moscharia. — A Chilian annual, possessing a strong smell of Musk. 

Moschosma. — A genus of herbs, distributed throughout the Eastern 
Hemisphere ; many of them possess a strong odour of Musk. 

Munronia. — A tribe of East Indian shrubs, bearing white flowers that 
emit a delicious scent. 

Murraya exotica. — A Chinese and Australian shrub belonging to the 
Citrus family, bearing pure white deliciously honey-scented blos- 
soms much resembling those of the Orange, though smaller. M, 
Sumatrana, another dainty kind, bears white, scented flowers. 

Muscari (Mush Hyacinth, Feathered Hyacinth, Grape Hyacinth). — A 
tribe of bulbous plants from the South of Europe, and furnishing 
some of the most ornamental and interesting hardy bulbs for the 
decoration of the garden. They flower in rich masses, and the 
flowers are mostly blue, purple, red, or white, and of great diversity 
of size and form. The true feathered Hyacinth (Muscari comosum 
monstrosum) has its petals so lacerated and cut into the finest 
downy-like fragments as to merit the name of feathered, the petals 
being cut into the finest feather-like down. The flowers are pink. 
There is also a white variety, which is rare, invaluable for deco- 
rative purposes. M, comosum is a lovely ultramarine blue. The 
following Grape or Musk Hyacinths are also well worth growing 
in hardy herbaceous borders, mixed beds, or shrubberies : — M. 
hotryoides, another beautiful blue species, flowering in April. Mr. 
Ruskin says of this lovely Grape Hyacinth in his Queen of the Air, 
as he saw it in the South of France, ^ that it was as if a cluster 
of grapes and a hive of honey had been distilled and pressed to- 
gether into one small boss of celled and beaded blue. ' M. moschatum, 
maroon yellow, strongly Musk-scented. M, parodoxum, deep blue ; 



SIVEET-SMELLIXG PLAXTS 



79 



M. commutatum, sky Line ; M. mcrceolens. bright blue ; J/, atlan- 
ticum, blue, and racemonun all j)ossess scented attractions. 
Musk. Ste Mimulus moschatus. 

Myrcia acris. — An American tree, the leaves of which are nsed as 
'Bay leaves.' In the West Indian woods the fragrance from the 
foliage impregnates the air for a great distance. 

Myrica Gale. — The Sweet Gale differs from the majority of fragrant 
leaved, plants in preferring a moist situation. Our native kind, J/. 
gale, grows in damp, boggy spots, and is charming in the garden 
too. It makes a close bush about 3 feet high, and has small, 
toothed leaves, which fall in winter. There are two or thi^ee 
American species, but the best of them is J/, a-sijleni folia. This 
kind is an evergreen, and makes a close, dense bush, whilst 
its leaves are of a rich green colour, and being persistent, their 
delicious fragrance can be enjoyed the whole year round. See 
Comptonia. 

Myristica moschata or officinalis. — An East Indian tree with oblong 
aromatic leaves, and useful in commerce as the source which sup- 
plies Mace and Nutmegs. 

Myrodia turbinata. — A Central American evergreen shrub, bearing 
white flowers, strongly aromatic. 

Myrospermum Pareiras. — A Mexican tree that produces Balsam of Peru. 

Myrrh. .5- Balsamodendron myrrha. 

Myrrhis odorata. — An odoriferous herbaceous plant, a native of Great 
Britain. 

Myrsiphyllum asparagoides [Simlax). — An American herb ; a lovely 
climbing plant for hanging baskets, with flowers scented like 
Orange blossoms, and small cordate dark-green foliage. The Paler- 
mitan belles find, fi^om experience, that its delicate, _ efiil 
sprays outlive all other green foliage in the heated aii^ of a ball- 
room, and they arrange it with gTeat taste for personal decoration, 
adding some of their splendid Camellias, or other brilliant flowers, 
which grow in profusion in what is literally a land of flowers. I 
have long wondered why our English ladies did not adopt this very 
beautiful and delicate plant as an addition to theii^ ball-room toilette, 
and only surmise that its merits have been comparatively unknown 
in England. 

As a trailing plant in a cool stove or warm greenhouse it is 
extremely useful. The gTeatest difficulty is to find a place where it 
can be suitably acconmiodated. It requires to be within easy reach, 
and each stem should be kept separately tied to or entwined around 
a slender string so that when requu^ed in a cut state it can be easily 
detached. Grown in this way, it also looks extremely handsome 



8o 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



whilst on the plant, the lateral growths drooping down adding to its 
beauty. 

Myrsiphyllum angustifolium.— A twining herbaceous climber from 

South Africa, bearing white flowers and aromatic foliage. 
Myrtle. See Myrtus. 

Myrtus communis [Myrtle). — A well-known evergreen shrub, found 
in a wild state throughout the South and Eastern parts of 
Europe, and now cultivated all the world over. Amongst the 
ancients the Myrtle was held sacred to Venus on account of its 
great beauty, whilst among the Greeks it was an emblem of 
authority and largely employed in making crowns for victors ; 
with the Jews it was an emblem of justice. 

Virgil, in his pastorals, alludes to its fragrance in Corydon's 
garden. ... ' And thee, Myrtle, next in dignity to the 
Laurel ; for thus arranged, you mingle sweet perfumes.' 

Spenser has also left the following dainty lines in reference to the 
garden of Adonis : — 

' Right in the midst of that paradise 
There stood a stately mound on whose round top 
^. ■ . A grove of Myrtle trees did rise, 

And from their fruitful sides sweet gum did drop 
That all the ground with precious dew bedight 
Threw forth most dainty odours and most sweet delight.' 

Milton, describing the bower of Paradise, says : — 

' The roof 

Of thickest covert was inwoven shade 
Laurel and Myrtle, and what higher grew 
Of firm and fragrant leaf ; . . . 
Veiled in a crown of fragrance 
Stands Eve alone, half spied.' 

In modern times we find a ' sprig of Myrtle ' a leading ornament 
in wedding floral arrangements, and the bride's bouquet is mcomplete 
without it ; beyond this, its chief use is in perfumery, particularly in 

~ the manipulation of pot-pouris, and a highly odorous water is dis- 
tilled from its pure white flowers, the leaves also are strongly 
scented. There are also yellow and pink flowered kinds. 

Myrtus pimenta. See Eugenia pimenta. 

Nabalus albus. — A perennial herbaceous plant from North America, 
bearing paniculate heads of sweet-scented white flowers. 

Narcissus (Daffodil, Jonquil), — A beautiful genus of early flowering 
l)ulbous plants, mostly natives of South Europe. The Narcissus 
is a member of a family distinguished by the extreme beauty of its 
flowers, alike in their forms, and richness, and variety of colouring. 




* Crooks, Day & Son, Lith 



MIGNONETTE. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



8r 



Many of tliem also are extremely sweet, having a perfume com- 
pounded apparently of the sweetness of the Lily and the odour 
of Violets. This favourite flower has been made the emblem of 
self-love, from 0^i.d's beautiful and well-known story of the chaste 
boy Narcissus, who was changed into this plant. Narcissus was 
a beautiful youth. Teresias, the soothsayer, foretold that he 
should enjoy felicity until he beheld his own face : but that the 
first sight of that would be fatal to him. Every kind of mirror 
was kept carefully out of his way. Echo was enamoured of 
him, but he slighted her love, and she pined and withered away 
until she had nothing left her but her voice, and even that could 
only repeat the last syllables of other people's sentences. He at 
last saw his o^\ti image reflected in a fountain, and taking it for 
that of another, he fell passionately in love with it. He attempted 
to embrace it. On seeing the fruitlessness of all his efforts, he 
killed himself in despair. When the nymphs raised a funeral pile 
to burn his body, they found nothing but a flower. That flower, 
into which he had been changed, still bears his name. 

' "Ah, youth ! beloved in vain," Xarcissiis cries — 

Ah, youth ! beloved in vain," the nymphs reply — 
When looking for his corpse they only found, 
A rising stalk with yellow blossoms croAraed. ' — Ovid. 

Here is a little passage about the fable, from the Tii'o Noble Kinsmen 
of Beaumont and Fletcher : — 

' Emilia. This garden hath a world of pleasure in it. 

What flower is this ? 
Servant. 'Tis called Xarcissus, Madam. 
Em. That was a fair boy certain, but a fool 

To love himself ; were there not maids, 

Or were they all hard-hearted ? 
Serv. That could not be to one so fair.' 

We have now many different species of this flower cultivated in 
.our gardens, some of which have remained with us since their 
introduction by the Romans, and we will endeaA'our to give them 
due attention according to the various groups : — 

The Common Yelloiv Daffodil of our fields and woods (N. pseudo- 
narcissus) is now available in many dainty forms, both single and 
double, all of which are extremely hardy and robust ; succeed well 
in any good garden soil, and once planted no further care is 
required. Magnificent subjects for the hardy border lines or 
groups, also for lawns, woodlands, shrubberies, or naturalisation 
everywhere. Yield an endless amount of cut flowers, delicately 
scented, and at a season when hardly any other bloom can be got. 
Under pot culture nothing can be finer for the conservatory or 



82 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



greenhouse decoration, and planted out tliey are better the second 
year than the first, and the third than the second. 

The Pheasant^ s Eye Narcissus (N. 2^oeticus) is an elegant variety, 
and justly popular. The double form, N. 2^oeticus plemis or 
Gardenia Narcissus, is a charming species, groAvn by millions for 
the London markets. Of all the double forms of Narcissus, this 
is the most strikingly beautiful, in purity and sweetness rivalling 
even the flower of the Gardenia. 

The Polyanthus or hunch-flowered Narcissus (N. tazetta or 
Orientalis) is of Eastern origin. The class embraces many of the 
most valuable and useful kinds, that are eagerly sought after in all 
parts. Even in distant China this fairy flower is held as a sacred 
plant, and takes high rank in the festivals of the new year in that 
country, where it is known as the Joss Flower or Sacred Lily. The 
whole group are beautiful, sweet-scented, free-flowering plants of 
the easiest culture, and suitable either for conservatory or garden 
decoration. They bear tall, many -flowered, charming Lily heads 
of from six to twenty-four large flowers from each bulb planted. 
The profusion of their large blooms furnishes abundance of rich, 
elegantly perfumed flowers for bouquets, vases, or other purposes. 

The Jonquil (N. Jonquilla — The Rush Daffodil) is a slender-grow- 
ing section of great beauty. This fragTant plant is one of the most 
powerfully scented of all the Narcissus family, half a dozen blooms 
being sufficient to perfume a greenhouse ; their charming golden 
flowers, both single and double, are freely produced, and they add 
an air of refinement wherever grovm. On grassy lawns, shaded 
woodlands, borders of lakes, and other ornamental grounds of ex- 
tensive expanses, no spring flowers are more suitable than the 
Narcissus, and such is the permanence of theii' endurance that some 
old favourite kinds still retain the positions assigned to them m times 
long past, where they annually rear their golden and snow-white 
heads underneath the grand old trees in the long-negiected environs of 
once famous residences, filling the atmosphere with a dainty perfume. 
Nardostachys Jatamansi. — An Indian herbaceous plant, with fragrant 
flowers, stems, and roots, stated by some authorities to be the 
Spikenard of the ancients. Li the present day it is largely used 
as an aromatic drug. 
Neippergia chrysantha. — A Mexican plant bearing large golden 
flowers, emitting an aromatic odour at night. 

' Those virgin Lilies all the night 
Bathing their beauties in the lake, 
That they may rise more fresh and bright, 

When their beloved sun's awake.' — Moore. 

Nelumbium. — A beautiful class of aquatic plants,^ exceedingly popular 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



83 



in all collections. They are distributed tlii'oughoiit the siil3-tropical 
parts of Asia, Africa, and America. N. speciosum, the Egyptian 
Lotus, also known as the sacred Lotus of the East, is a notable 
kind which has been cultivated from time iimnemorial, for its rosy 
red and pure white flowers, which are delightfully fragrant. In 
ancient mythological representations of nature this charming flower 
was the emblem of the great generative and conceptive power of 
the world, ser^i.ng as the head-dress of the sphinxes and the orna- 
ment of Lis. The flowers, which resemble gigantic Tea Eoses, are 
produced on foot-stalks sometimes six feet in length. The American 
Nelumbium, N. luteum, bears rich sulphur-yellow flowers, whilst 
the Japanese possess a white -flowering kind, N. nuclferum album, 
both deliciously scented. The whole group can be raised from seeds 
or tubers. The ease with which the Xelumbiums and Xymphaaas 
are cultivated, the magnificent flowers of great variety of form 
and colour, their delicate perfume, and the great fascination in 
growing them, is making the water garden widely popular. 

Nemesia floribunda. — An herbaceous annual from South Africa, with 
parti- coloured flowers of pleasing scent. There are other greatly 
unproved forms, notably N. strumosa, a newly introduced strain, 
calling for little conmient from a fragrant point of ^i.ew. 

Nepeta suaveolens {Cat Mint). — A hardy plant, used in rockwork and 
edgings. N. graveolens is another scented variety ; both kinds, 
from the peculiarity of their odour, are a great attraction to cats. 

Nephrodium. — A genus of Ferns, natives of warm countries, of which 
N. pallidum cristatum is an elegant crested variety, yielding a 
delicious perfume, especially when in a moist atmosphere. N. 
fragrans, a hardy variety of neat form, also possesses scented 
attractions. 

Nerium odorum {Oleander). — An Indian slirub, bearing bunches of 
elegant pink or white salver-shaped blossoms, delicately perfumed 
with the odour of Ahnonds, which scents the aii^ for a distance 
around. It is a common ornament in the gardens of ITpper India, 
where its elegance is greatly appreciated. 

Nicotiana affinis. — A sweet-scented variety of the Tobacco plant of 
conunerce from Eastern Asia. The plant is an herbaceous perennial, 
and bears a profusion of pure white star-shaped tubular flowers 
that emit a delicious perfume towards evening ; indeed its beauty 
is scarcely apparent during the day, as the flowers do not appear 
at their best until the sun is on the wane. It makes an attractive 
plant for greenliouse culture, where it fills the atmosphere with its 
powerfully scented attractions. N. p)ersica, X. iradulata, and X, 
noctiflora are also night -flowering and daintily perfumed. 



84 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Nothoscordum fragrans. — A biillDous plant from Central America, 
with white sweet -smelling flowers. 

Nyctanthes arbor-tristis. — A shrulnjy Indian tree, common all over 
the cotmhy. and poptilarly known as the Indian Jasmine. It bears 
a profusion of star-like Vvdiite flowers, which open at night, scenting 
the atmosphere during that time, for a wide distance around with a 
delightful honey-like fragrance, the petals fall at siimise, and are 
collected as a perftnne. 

Nycterinia. — A tribe of anntials and perennial plants from South 
Africa, bearing spikes of flowers that are faintly scented at night. 

Nymphaea. — A genus of beautiful flowering aquatic plants, popularly 
kno-^r^Ti as Water Lilies, Pond Lilies, or Water Xymphs. They are 
found in lakes and rivers all over the world, and are an elegant 
famil}^ deserving of extended cultivation. 

The common British species are X. aJoa and A"', lutta. both 
charming varieties, unfortunately possessing but little scent. Of 
the American kinds there are A"^. odorata, both white and rose, 
differing from our own white Water Lily in being sweet-scented. 
N. elegans, white and ptu-ple. X. tid^i'csci. white, with an odour 
resemblmg ripe Apples, whilst from China we find X. py'jm-'X'. a 
little miniature gem, with pure v^-hite I'lossorns : then there are the 
African varieties, X. ZcuizH'CL/'tn-^i^ — the Royal Purple ^Vater Lily 
— and X. coiruJea. Other sorts flower in the night, notably A''. 
Devoniensi-s. the Red Water Lily, and although they emit an agree- 
able odotir it is not nearly so powerftil as many of the day- 
blooming kinds, X. Dauheniana has parti-colotu-ed flowers that 
are also deliciously fragrant. 

' Exquisite floweret of the vernal hour, 

"^Tiose tender sweetness steals npon our gaze 
When the wild glory of the glittering shower 
Has faded in the sun's luxuriant rays.' 

Ocymum basilicum. — An annual plant supposed to have been brought 
to Europe from the East : it has been rendered poetical by the genius 
which has handled it, and both Boccaccio and Keats have made the 
name sound pleasantly in the ears of many people who know little of 
botany. 

AYe cultivate it as an herb, and the strong aromatic scent in its 
leaves, very much like cloves, renders it useful for culinary purposes. 

It was an opinion amongst the ancients that if tht leave- oi this 
plant were bruised and -put under the ground, they would breed 
insects ; later day writers, however, have extolled its many virtues 
in a more pleasing direction, for Gerard says, ' The smell of this 
plant is good for the heart and the head : it driveth away melau- 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



85 



choly and maketli a man merry and glad.' In France so mncli 
esteemed is this herb that it takes a foremost place in the composi- 
tion of almost all their soups and sauces. Keats's pathetic tale of 
the fair Italian maiden whose lover had been secretly put to death 
by her brothers, and whose corpse she ultunately discovered and 
buried in her bed of Easily is daintily expressed in his poems. 

0. pilosum has a pleasant Lemon odour ; 0. huUatum, 0. gratis- 
simum, and 0. canum are all fragrant and aromatic. 
Odontoglossum. See Orchids. 

CEnothera [Evening Floicer, Evening Primrose). — A genus of amiual 
or herbaceous plants from America. Amongst the best-kno^^n 
varieties are the following : — (E. odorata, a perennial kind, with 
yellow fragrant flowers ; (E. tetraptera, with large white flowers 
opening in the evening and dying at mom ; (E. noctimia, with 
yellow night-opening blossoms, exceedingly fragrant; (E. linearis, 
soft pale yellow flowers ; (E. marginata, white changing to pink, and 
emitting a delicious magnolia-like scent towards night, and (E. 
triloba. 

Olea fragrans. — A shrubby tree, common to the South of Europe and 
Central Asia. The leaves and white flowers are highly odoriferous 
and are used to flavour tea, and the scent they impart is more abid- 
ing than that of any other plant employed for the purpose. 0. rnyrti- 
folia is equally attractive. These two species represent a family 
some varieties of which are valuable in the commercial world. 

Olearia (Daisy Bush). — A genus of Australian shrubs, with leaves 
that have a delicious musky odour, notably apparent in 0. argo- 
2j1ujUus and 0. clirysophylla. 

Oncidium. See Orchids. 

Onosma albo rosea. — A perennial evergreen Alpine plant from South- 
East Europe, bearmg tubular white flowers, which emit a delicate 
Almond-like fragrance. 0. tairriciim, popularly known as Golden 
Drop, is another daintly scented variety. 

Orange. See Citrus. 

' The Orange flower perfumes the bower, 
Breeze, bird, and flower confess the hour.' — Scott. 

* Odours of Orange flower and spice 
Reached them from time to time, 
Like airs that breathe from paradise 
Upon a world of crime. ' — Loxgfellow. 

Orchidaceous plants. — A remarkably handsome and deservedly 
popular group, consisting of herbaceous perennial plants or shrubs : in 
temperate clmiates assuming a terrestrial habit, in warmer latitudes 
growing on trees or fixing themselves to rocks or stones. Orchids 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



are found in climates of excessive dryness, in damp and limnid 
forests, clinging to the trunks and limbs of trees, or on bare rocks 
where they vegetate and thrive with other shade-lo^-ing plants in 
countless thousands. There is, as might be expected, in such an 
extensive family, a surprising range of floral variation in form and 
colour. A similar variability is observable in the odours of the flowers, 
from some of the sweetest perfumes and most exquisite fragrance to 
the direst obnoxious taints. Not a few smell like honey, others of 
Elder, Heliotrope, Wild Grape, Sweet Pea, Vanilla, Tuberose, 
Honeysuckle, Lily of the Valley, Pineapple, Banana ; others are 
spicy, and it is to these particular characteristics that we have 
given special attention, and we are enabled to furnish enthusiasts 
with a very complete list of damty-scented varieties. 

Some years since, M. Riviere, head gardener at the Luxembourg in 
Paris, commenced a series of observations on the odours of the 
orchids under his care, with respect to which he communicated new 
and interesting facts to the Horticultural Society. Since that time 
another eminent French botanist, Mons. Ed. Andre, has conducted 
a number of experiments in the same dkection, the main points of 
which we are embodying in our list : — 

Aceras antlirojDJiora^ scented leaves. 

Acro2^era Loddigesii, the dainty scent of Wallflowers. 

jErides angiisti/olkm, powerful. 

uErides expansum. 

^E rides Fieldingii, a sweet odour of Pansies in the morning and 
evening. 

brides Leeanmn. 

jErides odoratim, pomatum-scented. 

Ang rce cum ehur Ileum y a sweet and faint odour, like that of Syringa, 
in the evening. 

Angrcecum fragrans, the leaves are used to perfume tea. 
AngrcECiim fatuomm^ a sweet odour of Tuberoses. 
Angrodciim 0' Brienianiimy delicately perfumed. 
Angrc^cum pellucidum. 

Angr cecum poly stacha, Hawthorn and Stephanotis. 
Arachnis moschifera, a spicy fragrance. 
Bifrenaria Harrisoni, a delicate lasting perfume. 
Bifrenaria inodora, like Lilies of the Valley. 
Bonatea speciosa, delicately fragrant. 
Brassavola cucullata. 
Brassia Lawrenciana. 
BuIho2>JiyUum coccineum, furze-scented. 
Bidhopliyllum hirtum. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



87 



Burlingtonia Candida, Citron-scented. 
Burlingtonia fragrans, a strong imitation of Almonds. 
Catasetum scurra, the aroma of Lemons. 
Cattleya aurea Statteriana. 

Catthya hogotensis, an odour of Gilliflower in the morning, and of 
Primroses in the evening. 

Cattleya bidbosa, Vanilla and Iris odour. 

Cattleya Chocoensis, an odour of Green Gage plums in the morning. 
Cattleya citrina, a strong smell of Limes. 
Cattleya Eldorado, an odour of Roses in the evening only. 
Cattleya elegans, an odour of Tuberose in the morning, and 
Gardenia in the evening. 

Cattleya gigas, triple extract of Violets. 
Cattleya gramdosa. 
Cattleya labrata autiimnalis. 
Cattleya labrata Gaskelliana. 
Cattleya Mossice. 

Cattleya quadricolor, an odour of Vanilla in the morning. 
Cattleya Schroderce, a delicious perfume of White Thorn and 
Almonds. 

Cattleya Walkeriana, var. nobilior, Vanilla-scented. 

Cleistoma ionasmum, Violet-scented. 

Ccelia bella, intensely fragrant. 

CcEliojms Jiyacinthosma Hyacinth-scented. 

Coelogyne cristata, Banana-scented, sometimes Cocoanut-scented. 
Ccelogyne odoratissimum, 
Cycnoches Loddigesii, honey-scented. 
Cycnoches chlorochiliun, particularly fragrant. 
Cymbidium Masteri, powerfully charged with the odour of Almonds 
at night. 

Cymbidium affine. 

Cymbidium sinensis, a lovely perfume like Chinese Roses. 
Cypripedinm calceolus. 

Cypripedium parvijlorum, delicately scented. 

Cypripedium Schlimi, in the evening exhales an odour of Violets, 
and in the morning the scent of Primroses. 

Dendrobium album. 

Dendrobium Ainsivorthii. 

Dendrobium aui^eum, the odour of Violets. 

Dendrobium densiflorum, a very faint perfume. 

Dendrobium glumaceum, odour of Lilac in the evening, and of 
Heliotrope in the morning. 

Dendrobium heterocarpum, Violet-scented, 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Dendrobium moschatitm, a charming odour of Musk at times. 
Dendrohium nohile, odour of hay in the evening, of honey at 
noon, and Primrose in the morning. 

Dendrohium scahrilinque, a delicious breath of Wallflowers. 
Dendrohium speciosum. 

Dendrochilum gliimaceum^ powerfully scented. 
Earina suaveolens, sweetly fragrant. 
Epidendrum anisatum, Aniseed-scented. 

Epidendrum Brassavola, the odour of Stephanotis towards 
evening. 

Epidendrum inversum, a spicy odour. 

Epidendrum radiatum, a scent like Syringa. 

Epidendrum meliosmum, honey-scented. 

Epidendrum umhellatum, the herb Angelica. 

Epidendrum vulnerum, an odour of Carnations in the morning. 

Epidendrum Wallisi, honey and Musk. 

Epiphora puhescens. 

Gongora atropurpurea. Allspice. 

Goodyera repens, very sweet-scented. 

Gymnadenia alhida. 

Gymnadenia conopsea, night scented. 

Hahenaria hifolia. 

Hahenaria chlorantha, rich aromatic odour at night. 
Houlletia BrocHehurstiana, deliciously sweet. 
Houlletia odoratissima. 

Lcelia alhida, a dainty Primrose-like perfume. 
Loilia anceps, a sweet Primrose-scent in the morning. 
Lindheimina ta.xana. 
Lycaste aromatica. 

Ly caste grandiflora, an odour of newly -mown hay in the morning. 

Lycaste lanipes, slightly sweet in the morning. 

Maxillaria aromatica, cinnamon -scented. 

Maxillaria atropurpurea, the delicate scent of Violets. 

Maxillaria nigrescens, a decided odour of Melons in the morning. 

Maxillaria Turneri. 

Mormodes aromatica. 

Nigritella angustifolia, Vanilla-scented leaves. 
Odontoglossum angustatem integrum, a faint odour of Lilac in the 
morning. 

Odontoglossum cristatum, a faint odour of Spiraea in the evening. 
Odontoglossum citrosum, Rose-scented. 
Odontoglossum gloriosum, like a whole hedge of Hawthorn. 
Odontoglossum Edwardii, scented like Violets. 




Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



89 



Odontoglossum Lancea n um . 

Odontoglossum Lindkj/anum, a peculiar smell in tlie morning. 

Odontoglossum nevadense, an odour of eau sucre mixed with 
Orange-blossom in the morning, and a faint trace of Almonds in the 
evening. 

Odontoglossum odoratum, Hawthorn-scented. 
Odontoglossum irrcEStans, a sweet and powerful fragrance. 
Odontoglossum pidchellumy a sweet odour of Vanilla in the 
morning. 

Odontoglossum Razlii, sweetly scented, like Lily of the Valley. 
Odontoglossum Sa nderianum, Hawthorn-scented. 
Odontoglossum triumijlians, an odour of Pansies. 
Odontoglossum vexillaru m . 
Cncidium chevrophorum, extra sweet. 

Oncidium cucullatum, a sweet odour of Violets in the morning. 
Oncidium incurvum, Primrose and Lilac scented. 
Oncidium inosum, Violet-scented. 

Oncidium leopardinwm, a faint perfume in the morning, and a 
very sweet odoiu: of Vanilla in the evenmg. 

Oncidium odoratissimum, an odour of Lilac in the morning, and 
of Elder-flowers in the evening. 

Oncidium ornlthorrynclium, suggestive of new-mown hay. Helio- 
trope, and Lilac. 

Oncidium stmmeum, Primrose-scented. 

Oncidium tigrinum^ Violet-scented. 

Oncidium varicosum. 

Orchis alba odorata. 

Orchis fragrans. 

Orchis fusca, fragrant leaves. 

Orchis maculata, powerful scent at eventide. 

Orchis Samhucina, Elder-scented. 

Ornithocejjhalus grand ijlor us, like Lily of the Valley. 

Peristeria data, the Dove Orchid, very fragrant. 

Phalcenopsis Schilleriana, a delicate perfume of Roses m the even- 
ing, and Lily of the Valley in the morning. 

Piiumna fragrans^ an odour of Vanilla in the morning, and of 
Narcissus in the evening. It varies much in sweetness. 

Piiumna nooilis. 

Renanthera arachnites, Musk-scented. 
Rodriguezia suaveolens. 

Schomhiirgia gloriosa, a faint odour in the evening. 

SohraJia sessilis, fragrance of the Wallflower. 

Stanhojjta grandiflora, the peculiar odour of a chemist's shop. 



90 



^.V ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



TncTiO':-irdrv.m ol^jo-jjurpurtum. 

Ti ' i : r: ■ : :' ' ' ^ ;/ u - ' > . H a ^vt Ii c rn - s c ent ed . 

Tri :' r ' 'V\v nobilis. 

Tri \ : ' :: suavis, the odour of the dainty Tuberose. 

Vau-A'A gi^jo.:. . an odour of Iris in the evening, and of Russia 
leather in the morning. 

Vanda Parishi^ a strong, pectiliar fragrance. 

Vanda suavis. a constant perfume of Gilliiiowers. 

Vanda tricolor, odour of Gilliflower in the morning, and Vanilla 
in the evening. 

Warsce iviczdl a arom at ica. 

Wa^rsce wiczel I a Wail esiaiia . 

Warsce w iczel I a Wen diand i . 

Zygopetalurn MacJcayi, Hyacinth-scented during simshine. 
Oreodaphne Californica. — An American tree : i:- i^ li^ ge. vrhen pressed, 

emits a powerful and agreeable odour. 
Origanum (Marjorara). — A perennial herb, native of Europe, used in 

cookery for flavourings. 
Ornithogalum odoratum. A bulbous plant from South Eiu^ope. 
Osmanthus fragrans [Fragrant Olive). — ^An evergreen shrr.'j from 

Japan, bearing flowers that are used in that country tC' periiurie 

tea. See Olea. 

Osmites camphorina. — An evergreen shrub from South Africa, possess- 
ing camphor-smelling properties. 

Oxyanthus tubifiorus. — An evergreen shrub from West Africa, with 
white, starry, fragrant flowers. 

Pachynocarpus. — A lofty fruiting tree, found in Borneo: the 
flowers are borne in terminal panicles, and are deliciously fra- 
grant. 

Paeonia [Poiony). — A genus of herbaceous, shrubby plants, natives 
of Europe and Asia, of noble growth, pleasing liabir. and, in some 
varieties, with delicately tragrant bloom, There are several species 
and sections, all of which are worthy of extended cultivation in 
hardy borders, plantations, and shrubberies, where theii^ con- 
spicuous flowers have a most telling effect. 

Pfeonias are now so numerous au'.! so much improved, that in 
domains of any gi^eat extent a -p- i-ial garden should be furnished 
for them. There seems no rea-'on -^vhy there should not be Pieonia 
, as well as Rose gardens, not a fev\- of them being as sweetly fragrant 
as the Rose. With fm^ther improvement in form, it seems pro- 
bable that the Paeonia may prove a formidable rival to the queen 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



91 



of flowers. A Pseonia garden furnished with a choice collection of 
specimens would indeed be a brilliant feature in the richest land- 
scape, and those who cannot have such a garden might surely have 
a bed of them. 

The following kinds possess scented attractions : — P.fragrans, rose 
and yellow ; P. Thorhecki, superb rosy red, from Japan ; P. ruhra 
odorata ; P. Charles Birder, rose-scented ; P. Arethitsa, rose 
purple ; P. incarnata plena, double blood red ; P. maxima plena, 
coral pink, rose-scented \ P. purpurea ; P. roseolus ; P. Isabella 
Karlitzky ; P. Madame Ghamany ; P. Madame Fournier ; P. pro- 
lifera superha, rose-scented ; P. alhijlora ; P. Madame Duroffle. 

Pancratium. — A delightful class of bulbous plants from the shores of 
the Mediterranean, allied to the Amaryllis, bearing umbels of deli- 
cate white fragrant flowers of large size and elegant form, at their 
best towards evening. P. fragrans and P. Madeanum are pro- 
bably the strongest scented varieties. 

Pandanus odoratissimus. — A tropical Indian tree, with spiked leaves 
and fragrant flowers. Dr. Roxburgh says : — ^ It is the tender 
white leaves of the flowers, chiefly those of the male, that yield 
that most delightful fragrance for which they are so universally and 
deservedly esteemed. For of all the perfumes in the world it must 
be the richest and most powerful.' These flowers are used by Hindu 
ladies for toilet purposes. 

Panicum variegatum. — A variegated form of a sub-tropical Grass. 
When in full bloom the flowers smell strongly, giving off an odour 
like that of certain Orchids. This cannot be described as par- 
ticularly sweet, but at the same time not particularly disagreeable ; 
in fact, some people cannot discern it at all, although tolerably 
strong. It is just possible that the odour arises from the pollen 
itself. 

Papyrus odoratus. — A perennial aquatic from the West Indies. 

'Pa.ss\&ora.{Passion Floicer). — Alarge family of climbing shrubs, although 
a few are bushy ; mostly natives of the tropics in both the Old and 
New Worlds. A great number of species are cultivated in this 
country for the beauty of their foliage, blossom, and fruit, and the 
flowers of some kinds have an exquisite fragrance, notably P. alata, 
P. edulis, Cherry-like perfume ; P. holosericea, honey-scented ; 
P. lancifolia ; and amongst new introductions, the white variety, 
P. Constance Elliott, is daintily perfumed. 

Parkinsonia aculeata [Jerusalera Thorn). — A spiny shrub from 
Central America, bearing sweetly-smelling flowers. 

Patchouli. See Pogostemon. 

Paullinia Asiatica. — An Eastern tropical shrub, known in the Nilgiri 



92 AN ALPHABETICAL LLST OF 



Hills as the Wild Orange Tree ; it bears white flowers, very 

strongly Lemon-scented. 
Paulownia imperialis. — A Japanese ornamental tree, bearing large 

purple violet flowers, which are pleasingly scented with an odour 

which can be distinguished a distance off on still evenings. 
Pavetta. — A genus of tropical shrubs. In India the leaves and roots 

of the native variety, F. indica, are aromatic, and largely used for 

medicinal purposes ; the flowers, although insignificant, possess a 

mild fragrance. 

Pavia macrostachys. — A hardy deciduous shrub from North America, 

bearing long racemes of daintily scented white flowers. 
Pectis angustifolia. — A small herb from Central America, with leaves 

possessing a peculiar fragrance. 
Pedalium murex. — A succulent annual plant, common on the southern 

coasts of India. All parts give off" a musky odour when bruised or 

rubbed. 

Pelargonium {Geranium). — An extensive and deservedly popular genus 
of flowering plants, mostly from South Africa ; the sweet-scented 
section, that form the subject of our remarks, are a beautiful class 
that appear to have been somewhat neglected of late years ; a 
charming collection, however, has gone the round of the London 
Exhibitions during the past season, and it is from this remarkable 
group that many of our notes have been taken. 

For emitting a delightful fragrance from the foliage, few plants can 
equal the scented-leaved Pelargoniums, and it is not surprising that 
they are so generally admired when well cultivated. There is no 
reason why these charming plants should not be treated as liberally 
as the other Pelargoniums, for they are equally as useful, and for 
some purposes even more so. As is well known, the foliage is ever- 
green, and pleasing at all times of the year. The leaves might be 
employed in all kinds of floral decorations, many of them being 
delicately cut and of graceful appearance, lasting a long time in 
water. Apart from this, the plants produce pretty, although, in 
some cases, rather small flowers, which enhances their value con- 
siderably. 

While admiring all the forms in which the plants referred to above 
were grown, perhaps the standards were the more striking, though 
the fan-trained plants would form useful furnishing for fireplaces, 
windows, or other recesses. These sweet-scented Pelargoniums 
are also admirable for the clothing of vacant walls in conservatories 
or corridors, and in not a few gardens of the old-fashioned type 
most vacant spaces in houses or corridors were furnished with Oak 
or other leaved Geraniums. These and other Cape Pelargoniums 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



93 



often had one or more houses to themselves, where quantities used 
to be grown specially for cutting. In those days, not so far off as 
they may seem, no bouquet or basket of flowers was considered 
complete unless plentifully perfumed with the foliage of Cape or 
other sweet Pelargoniums. 

The best collections in the country at present are those of Baron 
Rothschild at Gunnersbury ; Lord St. Oswald, Nostell Priory ; and 
Lady Henry Grosvenor at Bulwick Park. 

Regarding varieties, these are somewhat numerous, and they 
vary, moreover, in fragrance as well as appearance. The Oak-leaved 
kind is most generally grown, but it is not so graceful as some of 
the others, being coarsely fragrant and not so elegant in appearance. 

Pelargonium fragrans, nutmeg-scented, white flowers with red 
lines on upper petals. 

Pelargonium triste^ night-scented, pale yellow, brown spots. 

Pelargonium Mrs. Douglas, mauve and rose flowers. 

Pelargonium Duchess of Devonshire , very sweet. 

Pelargonium quercifolium, purple flowers, and strongly scented 
oak-like leaves cut like fretwork. 

Pelargonium quercifoliiim minor, much resembling the latter, with 
fine oak-like foliage. 

Pelargonium Fair Helen, large oak-leaved foliage, very fragrant. 

Pelargonium tomentosum, smells strongly of peppermint, and is 
generally known as the peppermint-scented Geranium, has leaves 
too large to be advantageously intermixed with cut flowers, but it 
is, nevertheless, worth a place amongst an assortment of plants 
with fragrant leaves. 

Pelargonium Prince of Orange, very dwarf, small leaves that 
have the perfume of Oranges. 

Pelargonium Lothario, violet and crimson flowers. 

Pelargonium Little Gem, very compact. 

Pelargonium Lady Heyteshury, reddish blooms. 

PelargoniiLin Pretty Polly, a delicious Almond-scented fragrance. 

Pelargonium Unique, fine flowers, in scarlet and purple colours. 

Pelargonium cajpitatum, perfumed like roses, the leaves are 
largely used in the manufacture of rose-scents. 

Pelargonium Dale Park Beauty, highly fragrant. 

Pelargonium Lady Mary, nutmeg-scented, a spicy fragrance. 

Pelargonium Countess of Devon, a miniature variety, sweetly 
scented. 

Pelargonium Shottesham Pet, dark rose-coloured flowers, filbert- 
scented. 

Pelargonium Mrs. Kingsbury, lilac-purple in the way of Unique. 



94 



AX ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Pelargonium Lady Plymouth^ a variegated form, smelling strongly 
of Peppermint. 

Pelargonium mspum, the Lemon Geranium, neat in habit, and 
charmingly scented of Citron. 

Pelargonium Lady Scarhorough. leaves resembling fine curled. 
Parsley, very fragrant. 

Pelargonium raduJay fern-like foliage, gi'acefnl in bouquets. 

Pelargonium Major ClarJce. similar to Pelargonium 'radula. 

Pelargonium Pheasant' s-foot, Fern-like foliage, delicately sweet, 
something after pinewood. 

Pelargonium Attar of Poses ^ strongly scented. 

Pelargonium ferncejol ium, Fern-Hke. 

Pelargonium dentkulatum majus, bushy habit with a beautiful 
Fern-like appear : : : : 

Pelargonium . ; . ..rn odoratum. a Fem-ieaved variety with an 
overpowering fragrance, the foliage is glaucous. 

Peltostigrna. — A genus, represented by a branching slirrJj which is 
found in the West Indies, bearing large - r.iTr : ? flowers. 

Pergularia. — A genus of creex^ing or climb in^ ^-i. v." ^ : ^ : ■ A : : , 
Almost all the family bear highly-scented n : vrci . P. c : 
is a special favourite on account of its sweet-smelling Priii^ose 
blossoms which impregnate the air with a most delightful fra- 
grance. 

Periploca grsca. — A variety of deciduous twining plants, natives of 

South Eurox^e, bearing clusters of brownish fi^agrant fi.owers. 
Peristeria. See Orchids. 

Petasites fragrans (Winter Heliotrope). — This is one of the few plants 
that flower in the depth of winter. It is rather vcc :"v-:': ikini". 
with dingy lilac flowers, which have dark purple cenTi T-, ■ ;.: r^i e 
deliciously fragrant. Owing to the 1~ :~ ; i uality it is kno^m as the 
WiQter Heliotrope." The leave,^ - ^ . - - - at the same tune as the 
flowers. A native of Europe. 

Petrocallis pyrenaica. — An Alpine x^lant from Switzerland with blue- 
veined flowers. 

Petunia. — A class of beautiful flowering plants from South America, 
allied to the Tobacco i)lant ; they : : : .rncrally grown as annuals, 
although they are reallj^ x)erennial under certaiu conditions. The 
whole grou]3 possess a }Deculiar aroma in the foliage, whilst a few 
sorts are pleasantlj^ scented in their 1 - : ' y blooms, which have been 
greatly improved iii size, colour, an i : rm dui^ing late years. P. 
nyrjaginifiora has white, powerfully-scented flowers. 

Phaseolus Caracalla. — A variety of the well-known climbing Bean, 
probably from Brazil, with large, showy, sweet-smelliag flowers. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



95 



Phelloderma. — A tiiberoiis-rootecl perennial herb from Chili, bearing 
reddish yellow sweet-scented flowers, followed by a fruit. 

Philadelphus coronarius [Moclz Orange) popularly called Syringa.— A 
bushy shrub from the South of Europe, whither was probably 
brought from the East. It is common in British gardens, and much 
appreciated on account of its large bunches of creamy white flowers, 
which are powerfully scented with the odour of Orange blossoms, 
the leaves also have a peculiar taste, resembling Cucumber. The 
family is a large one, and consists of single and double forms. 

Phillyrea. — Evergreen flowering shrubs, common along the shores of the 
Mediterranean, where their beauty is much appreciated. P. Vil- 
moriniana bears clusters of damtily-scented flowers. 

Philodendron fragrantissimus. — A parasitical plant from Guiana, with 
scented flowers. 

Phcfidranassa gloriosa. — A Peruvian bulbous plant of the Amaryllis 
tribe, popularly known as Queen Lilies, bearing tubular flowers 
bright yellow in colour, and very fragrant. 

Photinia dubia. — An evergreen shrub from Bengal, with handsome 
foliage and rich panicles of pure white scented flowers, which per- 
fume the atmosphere for a great distance around with the delicate 
odour of the Heliotrope. P. serrulata, from China, is equally 
attractive. 

Phlox, — North American herbaceous plants, much improved of late 
years, and justly esteemed m our gardens for their dainty bloom ; 
they form beautiful objects in borders, along the fronts of shrub- 
beries, where their massive clusters of highly-coloured flowers are 
invaluable. A correspondent in one of our popular gardening jour- 
nals has recently named the following varieties as extra sweet- 
scented : — P. Attraction, Beauty, Edith, Gloire de NeuiUy, Mars, 
Oheron, Biiby, and suaveolens, to which we add P. Aspasia and 
P. Faust. The annual varieties possess little or no fragrance. 

Phyllocactus. — A class of beautiful Cactaceous plants from Mexico and 
Central America, of which the following possess scented attractions : 
— P. anguliger, creamy white, with a most delicious fragrance ; P. 
crenata, white ; P. phyllanthus, night -flowering, and possessing a 
peculiar odour, and P. Wrayi, yellowish white, fragrant only when 
first opening ; P. Hookeri, white, night flowering ; and P. latifrons, 

Phrynium Myrosma. — A tropical American herbaceous plant, bearing 
sweet-scented flowers. 

Physianthus albens {Gruel Plant), — A rapid-growing perennial climber, 
bearing a profusion of pure white, fragrant flowers, resembling the 
single Tuberose, followed by showy seed-pods. It is called the 
Cruel Plant because its flowers entrap insects. 



96 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Picotee. See Dianthus caryophyllus. 
Pink. See Dianthus caryophyllus. 

Pitcairnia suaveolens. — An herbaceous perennial from Central 

America; bearing clusters of yellow^ scented bloom. 
Pittosporum. — A genus of shrubby trees, mostly natives of Australia 

and the East. P. undidaf.um is from New South Wales, whilst P. 

Tohira is a Japanese species, the white flowers of both varieties 

are daintly scented, and load the air with an elegant perfume. 
Plagianthus Lampeni. — A Tasmanian flowermg shrub. 
Platystemon Californicus. — A spreading amnial, with straw-coloured. 

Snowdrop-like, sweet-scented flowers. 
Plectopoma. — American bulbous plants, bearing tubular. Gloxinia-like 

flowers ; some of the varieties are delicately scented towards evening. 
Plectranthus aromaticus. [Bread and Butter Plant). — A low-growmg 

herbaceous plant, found throughout the world m tropical regions ; 

its flowers are insignificant, but the solid and succulent leaves 

possess a pleasing aromatic fragrance. Syn. : Coleus aromaticus. 
Pleurolus euosmus. — A Tarragon- scented fungus. 
Pluchea indica. — A small Indian shrub, emitting a strong camphorous 

odour. 

Plumieria rubra (Bed Jessamine). — A shrubby tree from Central 
America, with deliciously scented flowers, which have obtained 
for this species the popular name attached. P. acurninafa bears 
corymbs of large white deliciously fragrant flowers ; whilst P. 
aciitifoUa is kno^^^ii as the Frangipani scent plant. 

Plunkenetia corniculata. — A climber from tropical Asia, with aromatic 
leaves. 

Pogostemon patchouli. — An herbaceous shrub, found mostly in India. 
This plant afl'ords the celebrated perfume of the Hindus, and 
although its odour is certainly peculiar and even disagreeable to 
some people, it is highly popular amongst certain classes not only 
in Europe, but oA'er all the civilised world. The odoriferous part 
of the plant is the leaves ; A'aluable Indian shawls used to be 
distinguished by their odour of Patchouli, but since the perfume 
has become so common, this test is unreliable evidence of their 
genuineness. 

Polanisia graveolens. — An herbaceous plant from Xorth America, 
bearing pink, scented flowers, borne in clusters. 

* The scented Tuberose aiid Jonquil declare 
The stronger impulse of an evening air.' — Prior. 

Polianthes tuberosa (Tuberose). — A bulbous plant from India, greatly 
prized for its waxy white tubular flowers, which emit a powerful 




ent Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



5 WEE T-SMELLING PLA NTS 



97 



fragrance, on this account it is called by the Malays • Mistress of 
the Night,' as its scented favours increase tenfold after sunset. It 
has been greatly improved by cultivation, and now some sweetly 
pretty forms are grown in enormous quantities for supplying cut 
flowers during winter and spring. 

' The sweet Tuberose 
The daintiest flower for scent that blows.'— Shelley. 

Polyanthus. See Primula. 

Polygonatum officinalis. — A variety of Solomon's Seal, bearing fragrant 
flowers. Its native habitat is Scotland, but it has almost gone out 
of cultivation. 

Polyosma. — A family of evergreen trees from the Eastern Archipelago, 
bearing sweet-scented flowers, generally white in colour, followed 
by a berry. 

Populus balsamifera. — A Xortli American Poplar tree, remarkable for 

the pleasant balsamic odour of its buds and leaves. P. suavfrJens 

is a Prussian variety, also fragrant. 
Porana paniculata [Indian SUcer Creeper). — This plant has a beautiful 

eff'ect when covered with dainty Convolvulus-like flowers that are 

sweetly scented. 

Portlandia grandiflora. — A West Indian shrub, with handsome foliage 
and scented white flowers, resembling the Lily, and diffusing a 
similar delicious fragrance during the night. 

Posoqueria grandiflora. — A shrubby tree from British Guiana, bearing- 
large white, bell-shaped, fragrant flowers, that are exceedingly 
attractive ; allied to Randia and Gardenia. 

Pothos odoratissima. — An Eastern climbing shrub, delicately Vanilla- 
scented. 

Primrose. See Primula. 

Primula. — A lovely genus of early flowering herbaceous plants, em- 
bracing the Auricula, Cowslip, Polyanthus, Oxlip, and Prim- 
rose. 

P. auricula. — This beautiful hardy species, a favourite offspring of 
vernal Flora, and natiA'e of the mountains of Southern Europe, was 
introduced to Britain quite three centuries ago, and cultivated 
originally under the name of Bears" Ears and Mountain Cowslip — at 
the beginning of the present centur}' quite a rage existed to obtain 
the best sorts, and now they aijound in almost endless variety, 
improving year by year under the agency of the Xational Auricula 
Society, whose exliibitions are held annually in London. Z\Iany of 
the most sunple coloured, as well as the new and beautiful forms, 
are exquisitely scented. 

G 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Keats must surely have had this elegant plant in mind when 
penning his famous ' Endymion ' where he writes : — 

' Oft have I brought thee flowers, on their stalks set 
Like sweet Primroses, but dark velvet 
Edges them round, and they have golden jets.' 

Cowslip (P. vera). — This favourite flower of our native fields, 
decorating the uplands and lowlands with its pendent umbels of 
fragrance, is said to have derived its name from their scented 
resemblance to the breath of the cow ; perhaps from growing much 
in pastures, and often meeting the Cow's -lip. Who that has lived in 
rural districts where this dainty flower abounds, does not associate 
with its name thoughts of joy and sweetness, of hours spent 
rambling among meadows richly enamelled with these waving 
tasselled blossoms, or of plucking handfuls to form scented posies, 
or to manipulate an odorous ball scattering its rich perfume through 
the air?. The roots also have a scent like Aniseed. Its most charm- 
ing praises have been sung again and again by all flower-loving 
poets. Here is an elegant definition : — 

' How exquisitely chaste 
This rich display of flowers, 
This airy wild of fragrance 
So lovely to the eye, 

And to the sense so sweet ! ' — Andreini. 

Our great Shakespeare also depicts these blossoms as ^ fairy 
favours ' in his ' Midsummer Night's Dream ' : — 

' I must go and seek some dewdrops here, 
And hang a pearl in every Cowslip's ear.' 

Polyanthus (P. vulgaris, var.). — This species is one of our hardies 
spring garden flowering plants, and is largely employed for thi«< 
purpose. In habit it seems midway between the coloured Primrose 
and the Cowslip, and possesses the charming attractions of both, 
and when we take into account the variety and richness of its 
colouring, the grace and elegance of its form, its agreeable odour, 
easy propagation, and early time of flowering, it is justly entitled 
to an important position in every garden. 

Oxlip (P. elatior) is another dainty variety of this delightful 
family, that is not nearly so popular as it might be. It may be 
^described as a Cowslip, with umbels of Primrose blooms upon a 
centre stalk. Like the Primrose, it seeks the thickets and hedgerows, 
being seldom found in the open fields ; it bears the delicate odour of 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



99 



the whole family, and is altogether an exceedingly attractive plant. 
Shakespeare even did not overlook its beauties when he says : — 

' I know a bank whereon the wild Thyme grows, 
Where Oxlips and the nodding Violet blows.' 

Primrose (P. vulgaris). — A lovely native plant, found growing 
in great luxuriance in hedgerows, woodlands, and copses ; it is known 
as one of the harbingers of spring, and ventures forth its dainty 
sulphur blossoms as soon as the winter-worn earth is favoured with 
the breath of vernal warmth. 

The relationship which this favourite and delicately perfumed 
flower bears to the ancient gods has been clearly left us in the 
mythological writings of the time, and from these records it would 
appear that the Primrose owes its name to a beautiful youth who 
died of grief through the loss of his lover, but was preserved by his 
friends, and transformed into this flower. 

The fragrance of the Primrose is most peculiarly attractive and 
refreshing. Even the scent of Violets does not bring to the mind such 
unmixed delight, for Violets are sometimes found at other seasons, 
but a handful of creamy Primroses can only be found in sweet 
sprmg-time, hence they speak to us of the mossy dells and glens 
where they have sprung up at the first call of its breezy voice. The 
Primrose which remains ungathered will flourish in beauty and 
fragrance for many days, and even when plucked it exhales its pure 
and healthy odour until the very last hour of its life ; all the poets 
have extolled the praise of this fair child of spring. 

Shenstone has left these fairy lines : — 

' To pluck the Primrose np the lane, 
Does she not sweets in each fair valley find 
Lost to the sons of power, unknown to half mankind ? ' 

Spenser in the following exhilarating Imes must have been 
attracted by its beauties : — 

' Sweet is the Primrose that peeps beneath the Thorn ; 
She is the rose and glory of the day. 
And mine the Primrose in the lowly shade.' 

Shakespeare's construction is in a very forlorn and pensive 
character : — 

' With fairest flowers, 
I'll sweeten thy sad grave. Thou shalt not lack 
The flower that's like thy face, pale Primrose.' 

There are many other pleasing varieties of this charming family 
that have been brought from distant parts, and are now naturalised 
in our gardens and greenhouses. Of the hardy species found wild 



loo AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



in the Alps and the Hmialayas. we may mention as possessmg 
scented attractions beyond the delicate aroma attached to the 
tribe in general. P. acaulis. double white. P. inttrmedta. P. minima. 
the fauy Primrose, P. j^alinuri, with a Cowslip-like perfume, P. 
Sil'J:i men-sis and P. imperiaUs \ whilst of the greenhouse varieties, 
the magnificent and popular strains of the Chinese Prinmla, P. 
sinensis, that are now obtainable in seeds from every imj)ortant seed 
merchant, are worthy of the most glowing terms in which a beauti- 
ful flowering plant can be lauded, they have been greatly improved 
dm^ing recent years, and the section now embraces almost every 
known shade of colour, whilst the general character of the foliage 
and fimbriated blossom has been entirely altered from its parents. 

Priva Isevis. — A tuberous plant of the Verbena tnl'e. vith sweetly - 
scented pale rose flowers. Native of Chili. 

Prockia crucis. — A West Indian shrub with sweet-scented flowers, 
reminding one of our own dainty Lime-tree. 

Prostanthera lasianthus. — A species of Australian shrubs with 
flowers possessing a powerful odour. P. rot undi folia bears ecpial 
attractions. 

Protea mellifera. — A South African shrub, known as Sugar Bush, on 

account of the honey secreted in the flowers. 
Prunus lusitanica {Portugal LoAirel). — A compact growing shrubby 

tree, with creamy white flowers. 
Psidium. — An extensive genus of tropical American trees or shrubs 

belonging to the Myrtle family ; the flowers of nearly all the species 

are deliciously scented, whilst the leaves of P. aromaticum possess 

the dainty fragrance of Balm. 
Psoralea odorata. — A shrubby plant from Soutli Africa bearing Ijlue 

scented flowers. 

Ptelea trifoliata {So:amp Bogvood of Xorth America). — A compact- 
growing tree, the leaves of which emit an aromatic odour when 
bruised. 

Pterigeron liatroides. — A ^A'est Australian sweet -smelling plant. 
Pteris felosma.— A West Indian Fern. 

Pteronia camphorata. — An evergreen shrub from South Africa, with 
yellow flowers. 

Pterospermum lancaefolium. — A sub-trr.pioal Asiatic shruljby tree. 

bearing large white fragrant flowers and dense handsome foliage. 

A j)opular roadside tree in Bombay and other parts of India. 
Pycnanthemum {American Mountain Mint). — A genus of perennial 

herbs with leaves smelling like Pennyroyal. 
Pyrola. — A family of small evergreen plants of graceful aspect when 

covered with flowers. P. rotundifolia is Almond-scented. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



lOI 



Pyrus. — An extensive genus of fruiting shrubs and trees, natives of 
the northern hemisphere of Europe, America, and the mountainous 
regions of Central Asia. They inchide the apple and pear of com- 
merce. The family, although exceedingly beautiful and valuable, 
need but little comment from our pomt of view. One or two of 
the ornamental flowering kinds, however, deserve passing notice. 
P. coronaria, the Xorth American sweet-scented Crab, is a lovely 
little tree, with large pale pink deliciously-scented flowers. P. 
aiKjustifolia, in both its single and double form, bears delicate pink 
fragrant flowers. The single-flowered species extends over large 
areas in the Atlantic States of Xorth America. When in flower, 
says Sargent, it is not surpassed in beauty by any of the small 
trees of North America ; and the traveller in the gloomy and 
monotonous pine-forests of the Southern States experiences no 
more delightful sensation than when he comes unexpectedly into 
some retired glade and finds it filled with these trees, covered by 
their delicious and fragrant flxowers. 

Pyrethrum. — See Anthemis. A common order of composite plants 
with aromatic foliage. 

Randia. — A genus of evergreeii shrubs, natives of the East, and closely 
allied to the Gardenia ; there are several species, many of them 
very fragrant. Of these we notice the following : — B. dumetorum, 
R. longispina, P. longifiora. P. capitata, and P. Humholdti. 

Ranunculus Buchanani. — A rare Xew Zealand species of this extensive 
family, with delicately-scented cream-coloured flowers. 

Raphiolepis ovata [Jaimnese Hairthorn). — A Japanese evergreen 
shrub, bearing clusters of sweet-scented white flowers. 

Reseda odorata. — Who does not know the fragrant Mignonette or 
Little Darling, one of our most cherished and deservedly favourite 
floral treasures, the simplest and sweetest -scented of our garden 
flowers, and a welcome plant with all? One cannot imagine a 
garden being complete without this grateful plant, whose sweetness 
wins all hearts. It is now many years since this odorous weed of 
Egypt first perfumed European gardens. It would appear that it 
first found its way from its Egyptian home to the South of France, 
where it was welcomed by the name of Mignonette, signifying m 
French 'little darlmg,' and this happy designation has been found 
too appropriate for the dainty little flower to be ever afterwards 
exchanged for any other. It is certain that it soon got into the 
gardens of the London florists, so as to enable them to supply the 
metropolis with plants to furnish out the balconies — a fact noticed 
by the poet Cowper, who attained the age of twenty-one in the 



I02 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



year that this flower first perfumed the British atmosphere b}^ its 
fragrance. The author of the ^ Task ' soon afterwards is found 
celebrating it as a favourite plant in London — 

' . . . . the sashes fronted with a range 
Of Orange, Myrtle, or the fragrant weed, 
The Frenchman's darling.' — Cowper. 

* The luxury of the pleasure garden,' says Mr. Curtis, ^is greatly 
heightened by the delightful scent this little plant diffuses, and its 
perfume, though not so refreshing, perhaps, as Sweet Briar, is not 
apt to offend in the open. The odour which it exhales is thought 
by some to be too powerful for the house ; but even those persons, 
we presame, must be delighted with the fragrance it tln^ows from 
the balconies into the street, giving somethmg like a breath of 
garden air to those whose avocations will not permit a ramble 
beyond the square of the fashionable part of the town. Another 
writer has remarked, ' AYe have frequently found the perfume of 
the Mignonette so powerful in some of the better streets that we 
have considered it sufficient to protect the inhabitants from those 
effluvia which bring disorders with them in the air.' It has been 
named cZ"J./?iO?//^ or love-flower; and though used for plant- 

ing upon graves, we have ncA'er learned that it played any leading 
part in marriage festivities. 

' Tlie delicate odour of Mignonette, 

The remains of a dead and gone bouquet, 
Is all that tells of a story ; yet 

Could we think of it in a sweeter way ? — Bret Harte. 

This simple flower has found a place in the armorial bearings of 
an illustrious family in Saxony. We must tell the story : — The 
Count of Walsthim loved the fair and sprightly Amelia of Xord- 
bourg, who was a spoilt child and a coquette. She had an humble 
companion whose Christian name was Charlotte. One evening at 
a party all the ladies were called upon to choose a flower each, and 
the gentlemen were to make verses on the selections. Amelia 
fixed upon the sumptuous Rose, Charlotte the modest Mignonette. 
In the course of the evening Amelia coquetted so desperately with 
the dashing colonel that the Count could not suppress his vexation. 
On this he wrote a verse for the Rose, which, translated into 
English, implied — 

' Sbe lives but for a day, and pleases but for a moment.' 

He then presented the folloAving line on the Mignonette to the 
gentle Charlotte — 

' Your qualities surpass your charms.' 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



The Count transferred his affections to Charlotte, and when he 
married her he added a branch of the sweet Reseda to the ancient 
arms of his family, repeating this motto. 

Since the Mignonette has been cultivated in this country several 
fine varieties have been obtained. The flowers, originally greyish- 
white with red stamens, have given place to fine white, red, and 
yellow-flowered varieties, that when well grown in good soil pro- 
duce very fine spikes of bloom deliciouslj^ sweet. A small patch 
of Mignonette will be sufficient to fill the whole garden with fra- 
grance like a stream of rich distilled perfumes. A sprig or two 
of Mignonette amongst the table decorations, or in a bouquet, 
has a rer}^ refreshing appearance. 
Retama monosperma. — A Spanish sand shrub, with odoriferous 
flowers. 

Rhaphistemma pulchellum. — An Indian climber, bearing large racemes 

of straw-coloured, sweet-scented flowers. 
Rhaponticum acaulis. — A peremiial herbaceous plant — native of 

Algiers — bearmg large heads of golden thistle-like flowers, smelling 

like the Acacia. 

Rhododendron. — A genus of remarkably handsome shrubs that have 
long been favourites in British gardens. Then* native habitats are 
almost world-wide, but the hardier kinds are generally confined to 
the temperate zone, whilst some of the more delicate sorts are 
thoroughly tropical. Experts have greatly improved the whole 
family by means of hybridisation and cross-fertilisation, so that 
many exquisite kmds are now available that possess deliciously- 
scented attractions. The flowers of B. Ed<ju:ortliii, Avhite and pink, 
are so fragrant that a few are sufiicient to perfume a large room ; and 
this dainty variety may be taken as a type of the beauties of the 
greenhouse class, such as B, jasmincefiorum, B. albescens^ B. Lady 
Skelmersdale, B, Countess of Derby, B. Countess of DaUceith, B. 
Countess of Haddington, B. Duchess of BucdeucJi, B. fragrantissi- 
mum, B. Sesferianum. B. Dennisonn, B. suave. B. arhorescens, B. 
Colhttmnum, B. viscosum, B. Princess Alice, and B. 2Idme. Cuvelier. 

Rhodora Canadensis. — An ornamental slu^ub from Xorth America, 
bearing purple sweet-scented flowers, very similar to the hardy 
Azalea. 

Rhodorrhiza scoparius.— A Convolvulus-like plant from the Canary 
Islands, possessing in its stems and leaves the scent of Roses, and 
from which a powerfully odorous oil is extracted, largely employed 
to adulterate Otto of Roses. 

Rhynchospermum jasminioides. — A Chinese climber which requires 
greenhouse treatment in this country. It bears in great profusion 



104 AJV ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



dainty clusters of pure white tubular flowers similar to the 
Jessamine in shape and scent. Altogether a lovely plant when 
well grown. 

Ribes sanguineum (Red - floicerlng Currant). — A native of North 
America. When covered in spring with a profusion of dainty rosy 
red flowers this useful plant forms a l3eautiful object ; and although 
the blossoms possess little scented attractions in the open air, 
if placed in water in a room they emit a spicy odour that is very 
pleasmg. 

Ritchiea fragrans. — An evergreen climber from West Africa bearing 
white flowers. 

Robinia pseudo-acacia. — A member of the Acacia family. An orna- 
mental deciduous tree with prettily cut foliage and racemes of 
white Laburnum-like flowers, delicately fragrant. 

Rochea odoratissima. — A small shrub from South Africa, bearing pink 
flowers. 

Rogiera. See Rondeletia. Allied to Cupia and Wendlandia. 
Rock Rose. See Cistus, 
Rocket. See Hesperis. 

Romneya Coulteri (Californian Poppy). — An herbaceous pereimial, 

bearmg large white flowers like single Paeonias, with a delicate 

!Magnolia-like perfume. 
Rondeletia odorata. — A Mexican shrub bearing fine trusses of scarlet 

flowers, so sweetly perfumed that a popular scent has been named 

after the plant. 

Rosa (Rose, Eglantine, or Sweet Brlay^). — The national floral emblem 
of England. The genus that gives its name to this large and im- 
portant order represents a group of herbaceous slii^ubby trees that 
are found in temperate regions throughout both hemispheres, with 
out-wandering representatives in the higher elevations of Abyssinia, 
Central America, and South India. All the Roses of the Antipodes, 
South Africa, and the temperate parts of South America have been 
carried there by cultivation. 

' Would Love appoint some flower to reign 
In matchless beauty on the plain, 
The Rose (mankind will all agree), 
The Rose the queen of flowers should be ; 
The pride of plants, the grace of bowers, 
The blush of meads, the eye of flowers ; 
Its beauties charm the gods above ; 
Its fragrance is the breath of love ; 
Its foliage wantons in the air, 
Luxuriant, like the flowing hair ; 
It shines in blooming splendour gay, 
While zephyrs on its bosom play.' — Sappho. 



A inceut Brooks, Day x Son. Lirh. 



TEA ROSE. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 105 

The Rose, which is the emblem of beauty and the pride of Flora, 
reigns supreme amongst flowers in every part of the globe ; and the 
bards of all nations have sung its praises. Yet what muse has 
been able, or language sufficient, to do justice to a plant that has 
been denominated the Daughter of heaven, the glory of the spring, 
and the ornament of the earth ? As it is the most common of all 
that compose the garland of Flora, so it is the most delightful. 
Every country boasts of it, and every beholder admires it ; poets 
have celebrated its charms without exhausting their eulogiums, for 
its allurements increase upon a familiarity, and every fresh view pre- 
sents new beauties, and gives additional delight. Hence it renovates 
the imagination of the bard, and the very name of the flower gives 
harmony to his numbers, as its odours give sweetness to the air. 

' 'Tis one of those dainty flowers which leave a balmy breath 
Of sweet and innate fragrance when their leaves are closed in death.' 

To paint this universal emblem of delicate splendour in its own 
hues, the pencil should be dipped in the tints of Aurora, when 
arising amidst her aerial glory. Human art can neither colour nor 
describe so fair a flower. Venus herself finds a rival m the Rose, 
whose beauty is composed of all that is exquisite and graceful. 

Of the birth of the Rose, the queen of flowers, it is related in 
fable, that Flora, having found the corpse of a favourite nymph, 
whose beauty of person was only surpassed by the purity of her 
heart and chastity of mind, resolved to raise a plant from the 
precious remains of this daughter of the Dryads, for which purpose 
she begged the assistance of Venus and the Graces, as well as all 
the deities that preside over gardens, to assist in the transformation 
of the nymph into a flower, that was to be by them proclaimed 
queen of all the vegetable beauties. The ceremony was attended 
by the Zephyrs, wdio cleared the atmosphere, in order that Apollo 
might bless the new created progeny with his beams. Bacchus 
supplied rivers of nectar to nourish it, and Vertumnus poured his 
choicest perfumes over the plant. When the metamorphosis was 
complete, Pomona strewed her fruit over the young branches which 
were then crowned by Flora with a diadem that had been purposely 
prepared by the Celestials to distinguish this empress of flowers. 

' The gods beheld this brilliant birth, 
And hail'd the Rose— the boon of earth ! 
With nectar drops, a ruby tide, 
The sweetly orient buds they dyed, 
And bade them bloom, the flowers divine 
Of him who sheds the teeming vine : 
And bade them on the spangled thorn 
Expand their bosoms to the morn.' — Moore. 



o6 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Fabulous authors also account for the delicious perfume of the 
Rose^ by telling us that Love, in a feast of Ol^mipus, in the midst 
of the gaiety of a light and lively dance, overthrew, with a stroke 
of his wing, a cup of nectar, which precious liquor falling on the 
rose embalmed it with that heavenly fragrance which it still retains. 

Mythological writers also relate that Ehodante, Queen of Corinth, 
to avoid the pursuit of her lovers, fled to the temple of Diana to 
conceal herself ; but being besieged by them, and obliged to appear, 
she called on the people for assistance, who, on beholding her beauty, 
threw down the statue of Diana, and declared her to be the goddess 
of the temple ; upon which Apollo changed her into a rose. Yet 
another classical legend runs that the Rose was at first of a pure 
white colour, but a Rose thorn piercing the foot of Venus when she 
was hastening to protect Adonis from the rage of Mars, the blood 
which flowed from the wound dyed the blossom. 

Here is Dr. Hooker's account of the origin of the Red Rose : — 

' To sinless Eve's admirmg sight 
The Rose expanded snowy white, 
When in the ecstacy of bliss 
She gave the modest flower a kiss : 
And instantaneous, lo ! it drew 
From her red lip its blushing hue 
While from her breath its sweetness found 
And spread new fragrance all around.' 

In the luxurious days of the ancients, even the warriors crowned 
themselves with garlands of roses during their principal repasts ; and 
riiny states that their delicate meats were either covered with the 
petals of these fragrant flowers, or sprinkled with its odorous oils. 
At a feast which Cleopatra gave to Anthony, the royal apartments 
were covered with perfumed rose-leaves to a consideral^le depth. 

The Rose is mentioned by Homer and Columella, by the former 
in the hymn to Ceres, by the latter in one of his books ; through 
which we learn that it was a flower remarkable for the beauty of 
its petals ; that it grew amidst thorns ; that it had a divdne fragrance. 

Here is a fragment from Moore's version of the Ode by the Lesbian 
Poet Anacreon ; — 

' If Jove would give the fragrant bowers 
A queen for all their world of flowers. 
The Rose would be the choice of Jove 
xVnd blush the queen of every grove.' 

Thcophrastus and Pliny state that Roses may be distinguished 
one from another by the roughness, smoothness, colour, agreeable 
scent, and the greater or smaller number of their floral leaves or 



5 WEE T- SMELLING PL A NTS 



107 



petals. Martial, Ovid, Propertiiis, and Vii^gil frequently refer in 
their Avritings to the "Roses of their time that possessed a pleasing- 
fragrance and high perfume. 

In Tiu'key, a Rose is sculptured on the monimient of all ladies 
that die unmarried ; and in Poland they cover the coffins of children 
with Roses, and when the fimeral passes the streets, a number of 
these Roses are thrown from the window. 

The Turks are great admirers of this beautiful flower, and IMussul- 
mans in general believe that it first sprang from the perspiration of 
Mohammed, on which account they will not suffer a rose leaf to lie 
on the ground, or permit any one to tread upon this sacred flower. 

The island of Rhodes owes its name to the prodigious quantity of 
Roses with which it abounds. Sir William Ouseley tells us, in his 
work on Persia, that when he entered the flower-garden belonging 
to the governor of a castle near Fassa, he was overwhelmed witli 
scented Roses. In Persia, wine and other liquors are brought to 
table with a Rose in the bottle instead of a cork. 

Jackson says, that the Roses of the Jinan Nile, or the garden of 
the Xile, attached to the Emperor of Morocco's palace, are un- 
equalled, and that mattresses are made of their petals for the men of 
rank to recline upon ; and we read in Father Catron's Hi^foire de 
Jfogol a story about the origin of Attar of Roses. The Princess 
Xourmahal, an Eastern beauty, caused a large tank, in which she 
used to be rowed about with the Great Mogul, to be filled with 
rose-water. The heat of the sttn separating the water from the 
essential oil of the Rose, the latter was observed to be floating 
on the sm^face. The discovery was mimediately turned to good 
account. 

Here is another story : Avicenua, an Ai^abian doctor who flourished 
in the tenth century, is said to have invented the art of extracting 
the aromatic or medicinal principles of flowers and plants by means 
of distillation ; liitherto only scented resins and spices had been 
used in the making of perfumes. He succeeded in producing rose- 
water, which was soon made in large quantities. It is said that 
when Saladin entered Jerusalem in 1187. he had the floor and walls 
of Omar's Mosque entirely washed v^ith it. This delicious scent is 
still a favourite in the East ; the stranger is welcomed by being 
sprinkled with rose-Avater, and when again the censer is directed 
towards the Ai.sitor, it is taken as a hint that the reception is 
at an end. 

At Ghazipur, the essence, attar, uttar, of.to, or whatever it 
should be called, is obtained with great simplicity and ease. After 
the rose-water is prepared it is put into large open vessels which 



o8 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



are left out at night. Early in the morning the oil that floats 
upon the surface is skimmed off, or sucked up with fine dry cotton 
wool, put into Ijottles, and carefulh' sealed. 

The custom of rearing large plantations of Rose-trees still exists 
in the East, and in Russia, as appears from the following extract 
from Van Halen's account of his journey in that countr3\ * On the 
following morning we left our place of bivouac, in the vicinity of 
Kuba, with the rising sun, and proceeded through picturesque fields 
covered with Rose-trees. The exquisite fragrance emitted by them 
which the morning dew rendered more fresh and grateful, the varied 
warbling of a multitude of bii^ls, who had theu^ nests in these 
delightful bowers, and the sight of several cascades, whose playful 
waters leaped from theii^ steep summits, produced on every sense an 
indescribable feeling of delight. One of the nobles belonging to the 
suite of Ashan Khan made me a present of a small flagon of oil ex- 
tracted from these Roses, and this, when some months afterwards I 
compared with the best Otto of Roses of Turkey, surpassed it in 
fragrance and delicacy.' 

Forster says, * the Rose of Cashmere for its brilliancy and delicacy 
of odour has long been proverbial m the East.' 

' Who has not heard of the vale of Cashmere, 
With its Roses the sweetest that earth ever gave.' — Moore. 

Oriana, when confined a prisoner in a lofty tower, threw a wet 
Rose to her lover to express her grief and love ; and in the floral 
language of the East, presenting a Rosebud with thorns and leaves 
is understood to express both fear and hope ; when returned reversed, 
it signifies that you must not entertain either fear or hope. The 
flower which Philostratus dedicated to Cupid is made to speak the 
language of love. We are told that some persons pass through life 
without feeling the arrows of the young god ; and we read of others 
who could not endure the sight and smell of Roses. Mary de 
Medicis, it is said, detested Roses even in paintings, and the Knight 
of Guise fainted at the sight of a Rose. These strange aversions 
are unnatural, and the objects deserve our pity. 

Mary Stuart, Queen of Scots, sent a magnificent Rose-tree to 
Rosnard, the French poet of the sixteenth century, which was 
valued at two thousand crowns. Bayle relates an accident which 
happened at the baptism of Rosnard. In those days it was customary 
to bring large vases full of rose-water, and baskets of flovrers to 
christenings ; and as the nurse was going to church with the infant 
bard, she let her flowers fall, and in turning to recover them she 
touched the attendant who carried the vase of rose-water, and spilt 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



109 



it on the child ; and this^ says Bayle, was since regarded as a happy 
presage of the good odour that would some day scatter his poetry. 

' See for a while its garden bed 

The fragrant Rose adorn ; 
Return— alas ! the Rose has fled 
Xor left anght hut a thorn.' 

A Rose suspended from the ceiling intimates that all is strictly 
confidential that passes under it. Hence the phrase ' under the 
Kose,' and it is on record that many a young lady who would shrink 
from being kissed under the Misletoe would not have the same 
objection to that ceremony if performed under the Rose. 

Man alone seems born sensible to the delights of perfumes^ and 
employs them to give energy to his feelings, for animals and insects 
in general shun them. The beetle is said to have such an antipathy 
to Roses, that the odour of this flower will cause its death ; from 
which the ancients devised the allegory, to describe a man enervated 
by luxury, in representing him under the image of a beetle expiring 
surrounded by Roses. 

Madame de Genlis tells us that formerly the Rose was so precious 
in France that in several parts of that country the inhabitants were 
not allowed to cultivate it, as if all but the powerful were unworthy 
of such a gift ; and at other times we find it mentioned among the 
ancient rights of manors, to levy a tax or tribute of so many bushels 
of Roses, for the provision of rose-water for their lord, whose table 
was also covered with Rose leaves instead of napkins. The French 
parliament had formerly a great day of ceremony, called ^ Baillee 
de Roses,' because great quantities of Roses were then distributed. 

Here is a dainty story of a notable Rose from France : When 
Niel, a brave French General, was returning from the scene of his 
victories in the war between France and Austria, he received from 
a peasant, who wished to honour the hero, a basket of beautiful 
pale yellow Roses. One of the stems, which happened to have 
roots clinging to it, the General took to a florist in Paris, in whose 
care it remained until it became a thriving bush covered with blos- 
soms. Mel then took the plant as a gift to the Empress Eugenie. 
She expressed great admiration for the exquisite flowers, and, on 
learning that the Rose was nameless, said significantly, ' Then I 
will name it. It shall be The Marechal Niel," ' and at the same 
moment she bestowed upon the astonished General the jewelled 
baton that betokened his promotion to the high office of Marechal 
of France. 

Now-a-days we find this charming flower cultivated in every 
direction for the delicious fragrance imparted from its petals, and 



no AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



so well does the perfumer turn that sweetness to account, that m 
all parts of the world he compels it to yield its aroma to him, and 
he obtains from it an essential oil, a distilled water, a perfumed oil, 
and a pomade ; even the withered leaves are valuable, as they 
retain their scent for a considerable time. 

We shall now close our historical and legendary notes on the 
Rose with one of Shakespeare's sonnets. 

' O liow miicli more doth beauty beauteous seem, 

By that sweet ornament which truth doth give ! 

The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem 

For that sweet odour which doth in it live. 

The canker-blooms have full as deep a dye 

As the perfumed tincture of the roses, 

Hang on such thorns and play as wantonly 

When summer's breath their masked buds discloses ; 

But, for their virtue only is their show. 

They live unwoo'd and unrespected fade, 

Die to themselves. Sweet Roses do not so ; 

Of their sweet deaths are sweetest odours made : 
And so of you, beauteous and lovely youth, 
When that shall fade, my verse distills your truth.' 

Of the Koses which are natives of these islands, the British 
Botanist notices twenty belonging to England, four to Scotland, 
one to Ireland, and one to the Scilly Isles. These are made to 
form seven distinct species in the Hortus Keivensis, the most 
delightful of which is the Sweet Brier, or Eglantine, Bosa Buhi- 
ginosa, or Eglcuntiiia. 

' By Sweet Brier hedges bathed in dew, 
Let me my wholesome path pursue.' — Wharton. 

' Come, gentle air ! and while the thickest bloom, 
Convey the Jasmine's breath divine. 
Convey the Woodbine's rich perfume. 
Nor spare the sweet-leaved Eglantine.' — Shenstone. 

This species of Rose is found in chalky or gravelly soils, on heaths 
or hedges, in most parts of Europe ; it is also largely cultivated in 
British gardens to form ornamental hedges, and under such treat- 
ment the foliage becomes luxuriant, and after a shower emits an 
exceedingly strong and refreshing fragrance which fills the air, and 
is borne a long distance by the breeze. 

A new race of hybrid Sweet Briers has been lately introduced, 
which not only produce a grand display of highly- coloured sweet- 
scented blossoms, but the foliage retains ail the fragrant charms 
attached to the old-fashioned kind. All will welcome this new 
class, the introduction of which is mainly due to the Right Hon. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



III 



Lord Penzance, who has presented some pleasing facts in connec- 
tion with his experiments. His lordship, in the Rosarian's Year 
Book, tells us that * The seedlings obtained by impregnating the 
Sweet Brier with foreign pollen had a remarkable strength of root 
and growth, and struck readily from cuttings. The sweet-scented 
foliage of the Sweet Brier was also produced. A complete cross 
was obtained between the Sweet Brier and the Persian Yellow, the 
bloom larger than that of the Sweet Brier, pale yellow in colour, 
and the foliage fully as fragrant, if not more so. The Austrian 
Copper crossed on to the Sweet Brier produced a seedling, the 
bloom not quite so deep in its colour as that of the pollen parent, 
yet a close copy of the original, with the sweet scent of the Brier 
diffused in its foliage. The pollen of the Hybrid Perpetuals, the 
Hybrid Bourbons, and the Hybrid Chinas, put upon the Sweet 
Brier, produced distinct crosses — distinct in the sense that the 
wood, foliage, habit of growth, and the thorn, are not those of the 
Sweet Brier.' 

We hope that Lord Penzance may be long spared to prosecute his 
interesting experiments. They have come to be something more 
than mere experiments — a harsh word for the raising of beautiful 
new Roses, which charm with their refined beauty, tender and 
decided colours, and fragrant leaves, sweet combinations agreeable 
to the sense of sight and smell. 

We have still a few more echoes from the poets upon this 
dainty plant : — 

' Take this sprig of Eglantine, 
Which, though sweet unto your smell, 
He who plucks the sweet shall prove 
Many thorns to be in love.' — Herrick. 

' Rain-scented Eglantine, 
Gave temperate sweet to that waning sun.' — Keats. 

' The Wild Rose and the Eglantine 
Are wasting around their rich perfume.' — Scott. 

It is the Dog Rose (Rosa canina) that decorates our hedgerow^s 
with its tall arching branches, and lively odorous flowers in the 
months of June and July. From the petals of this blush-coloured 
wild Rose, a perfumed water may be distilled, which is thought to 
be more fragrant than that from garden Roses. The leaves of this 
Brier, when dried and infused in boiling water; are often used as a 
substitute for tea, and have a grateful smell and sub -astringent 
taste. 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



The Field Rose (Rosa arvensis) is another form of the Dog Rose. 
This is much more fragrant than the last-mentioned. It is also the 
most common climbing Rose in the West of Scotland, and is gene- 
rally mentioned as the Ayrshire Rose. The class includes several 
varieties, some of which are powerfully Mj^-rh-scented. 

' Then I will raise aloft the milk-white Rose. 
With whose sweet smell the air shall be perfumed. ' — Shakespeare. 

' There will we make our bed of Roses 
And a thousand fragrant posies.' — Shakespeare. 

One of the most delightful sweet-smelling garden Roses we possess 
is the Provence, or Cabbage Rose {Eosa Provincialis), which has 
been claimed by the inhabitants of the South of France as a native 
of Provence ; whilst the Dutch, says Gerard, consider themselves 
entitled to this flower, and say, as it first came out of Holland, it 
ought to have been named the Holland Rose, and not Provence 
Rose ; but it appears very evidently from Pliny, that neither of 
these coimtries can justly hold it as a native plant. He calls it a 
Greek Rose, and thus describes it in the fourth chapter of his 
twenty-first book : ' The Rose named Gra3cula has its petals or 
flower-leaves folded or lapped over each other so closely that they 
will not open of themselves, unless they be forced with the fingers, 
and therefore look as if they were always in the bud, but when 
they are expanded, they are the largest of all Roses.' This account 
correctly corresponds with the nature of the Provence Rose, which 
is often called the Cabbage Rose, from the manner in which the 
petals cabbage or fold over each other. As this Rose is so nearly 
allied to the Damask Rose, it is probable the Greeks first obtained 
it from the vicinity of Damascus, and that the trivial change is 
owing to soil and cultivation. 

' The Rose that hails the morning, 

Arrayed in all its sweets. 
Its mossy couch adorning, 
The sun enamour'd meets.' 

The Moss Rose [Bosa muscosa). — This elegant Rose is generally 
supposed to be the off'spring of the Provence Rose, whilst others 
think it belongs to the family of Centifolia or Hundred-leaved Rose. 
It appears to have been unknown to the ancients, as they have left 
no description of a flower that resembles it, and it is too singularly 
beautiful to have escaped Pliny's notice had it been in exist- 
ence. 

The Moss Rose is made the emblem of voluptuous love, and the 




SWEET SULTAN. 



S WEE T- SMELLING PLANTS 



113 



creative imagination of the poet thus pleasing!}^ accounts for this 
Rose having chid itself in a mossy garment. 

' The angel of the flowers, cue day, 
Beneath a Rose-tree sleeping lay. 
That spirit— to whose charge is given, 
To bathe young buds in dews from heaven. 
Awakening from his light repose, — 
'•' O, fondest object of my care, 
Still fairest found where all are fair, 
For the sweet shade thou'st given to me. 
Ask what thou wilt, 'tis granted thee." 
" Then," said the Rose, with deepen'd glow, 
" On me another grace bestow 
The spirit paused in silent thought, 
What grace was there that flower had not? 
'Twas but a moment — o'er the Rose 
A A'eil of moss the angel throws. 
And, robed in nature's simplest weed, 
Can there a flower that Rose exceed ? ' 

The author of a French pictured work on Roses seems displeased 
at our claimmg the Moss Rose as originating in this country, but 
Madame de Genlis tells us that, during her first visit to England, she 
saw Moss Roses for the first time, and that she took to Paris a 
Moss Rose-tree, which was the first that had been to that city ; and 
she says, in 1810, ' the cultivation of this superb fiower is not yet 
known in France.' The perpetual-flowering varieties of this class 
are mostly very fragrant. 

The GixxAMOX, or May Rose [Rom Cinnamomea). — This agree- 
ably perfumed Rose, which opens its small blossoms in our gardens 
about the end of May, is a native of Xice, in the South of France, 
and has been common in our pleasure-grounds for many ages, as 
Gerard tells us, in 1597, that it was then cultivated m this country, 
both m its single and double state. 

It is a favourite ^itli the fair, as it may be worn in the bosom 
longer than any other Rose, without fading, whilst its diminutive 
size and red colour, together with a pleasant perfume, adapt it well 
to fill the place of a brooch. 

' And each inconstant breeze that blows, 
Steals essence fi'om the musky Rose.' 

The McsK Rose {Rosa moscliata). — This species of Rose owes 
its name to the fine musky odour which its numerous white 
blossoms exhale during the autumnal months. It is a native of 
Xorthern Africa, and grows wild in the hedges and thickets in the 
kingdom of Tunis ; and the Tunisians cultivate it also for the 

H 



14 AN ALPHABETICAL LIS^T OF 



sake of a liigiily odorous essential oil. which they obtain from the 
petals by distillation. 

The Chixa and Baxxsiax Roses were first introduced towards 
the end of the last century. There are two forms of Banksian 
Roses in general cultivation, and the oldest and best known is the 
white Banksian. The flowers are small, very double, produced in 
large clusters, deliciously fragrant, with a considerable resemblance 
to the odour of the Sweet Violet. The yellow Banksian was intro- 
duced some years later, and is similar to the white variety in every 
respect, except the colour of the flowers. 

For covering arbors or trellis work, the Beacted Rose (/iO->r( 
hracteata), which was brought from China at the end of last century, 
is very serviceable. The flowers are single and perfectly white, and 
of a strong and agreeable perfume. 

' May'st tliou loijg, sweet crimson gem, 
Richly deck tliy native stem, 
Dropping clews, and breathing balm, 
Shed thy dying honours round 
And resign to parent earth 
The loveliest form she e'er gave birth.' 

The Japanese Rose (Rosa rugosa) thrives well in England, and 
makes a fine, handsome, spreading bush. The fragrance is delici- 
ously sweet and powerful, a few blooms scenting a large room. 
There are several kinds, and amongst the most ornamental bushes 
one can have in the garden is B. rugosa, and its variety, aiha ; 
the foliage is rich green and abundant, the flowers appearing from 
early June throughout the summer, and produce in the autumn a 
mass of showy red fruits. 

The Apple-fPvUITED Rose [Rosa pomif era) is also a charming type, 
and a variety that should be planted in all good gardens ; the 
flowers are like those of the common Dog Rose — rich pink in colour 
— the expanded blooms being paler than the buds. A healthy bush 
displays a graceful habit and a wealth of deep green leaves, amongst 
which the profusion of flowers is in pleasing contrast. The foliage 
gives ofi" an agreeable Sweet Brier fragrance, but the flowers are not 
very strongly scented. 

Amongst many other classes with scented attractions may be 
mentioned the Scotch Roses, Boursault, Persian, Indian, Polyantha, 
the Prairie and Fairy varieties, all of which are popular. The 
Polyantha varieties appear to possess no scent at close quarters ; 
at a distance from the bush, however, a powerful fragrance is per- 
ceptible, whilst many of the Indian kinds are Clove-scented. 

Of the beautiful varieties of Roses that find so much favour in all 



SWEET-SMELLIi\G PLANTS 



well-regulated gardens, and which belong either to the Hybrid- 
perpetual; Tea-scented or Noisette classes, it is fortunate that so 
many of them, whilst displaying their lovely form and brilliancy of 
colour, should also be deliciously scented, and in this connection we 
will not rely entirely upon our own judgment in selecting those 
kinds which we deem from experience to be worthy a place in our 
list, but will publish for the benefit of readers some exquisitely 
charming remarks, coached in the most endearing language, that 
have lately been given to the world by experts of the day. 

To the Rev. H. H. Dombrain, the popular Hon. Secretary to the 
National Rose Society, we are indebted for the following dainty 
notes on sweet-scented Roses : — 

' That which we call a Rose would smell as sweet by any other 
name' shows that in Shakespeare's time at any rate the idea of a 
scentless Rose was not entertained, but that there are such Roses 
now-a-days is clear, while there are many which, although they have 
perfume, can hardly be called sweet-scented ; such, for instance, are 
the Bourbon Roses, and many of what are now called hybrid per- 
petuals. Some years ago a Rose called Victor Verdier, beautiful in 
shape and colour but without any perfimie worth naming, was iatro- 
duced, and from it most probably have come such Roses as Baroness 
Rothschild, Merveillie de Lyon, etc., which, though beautiful in 
themselves, are lacking in one of the chief qualities of a Rose, sweet 
scent. There are two or three kinds of perfume which are to be 
fomid in these flowers ; the sweet perfume of the old Cabbage, the 
Centifolia Roses generally, the Attar of Rose perfimie which is to be 
found amongst many of the hybrid perpetuals, especially the high 
coloiu*ed ones, betraying probably their old Damask Rose origin, and 
the very peculiar perfume of the Tea and Xoisette Rose, which is 
known botanically as Bom indica odorata. In the following list I 
have placed most of the sweet-scented Roses of all classes. It does 
not profess to be a complete list, but will, I think, be sufficient for 
those who wish to have sweet-scented Roses in their gardens. 

The Moss Roses are all sweet-scented, even doT\-n to the little 
Moss de Meaux, and specially is this the case with the common 
Moss, its crested variety, and Zeiiobia, and White Bath. 

' The Centifolia Roses, represented by that old garden favourite the 
old Cabbage, are also very sweet, and the Rose de Meaux and 
Spong, miniatiu^e Roses of this ty^Q, also partake of the same 
character ; but, after all, it is ia the autunmal blooming Roses, the 
teas and hybrid j)erpetiial>, that the most interest is taken, the 
former, as I have said, are all sweet, but the following. I think, bear 
ofi" the palm in that respect, Adam, Belle Lyonnaise, Bouquet d"Or, 



t6 



AA^ ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Catharine Mermet. Climbing Perle des Jardins. Comtesse Riza dii 
Pare, Devoniensis, Dr. Grill, Ethel Brownlow, Franeisca Kruger. 
Gloire de Dijon, L'Ideal, Luciole, Madam Cnsin, Mad. de Watte- 
xille, Marechal Xiel. Medea, Sappho, Socrates (very sweet), 
Souvenir de Mad. Pernet, Souvenir d'un Ami, The Bride. 

^ Of the hybrid perpetuals there are some, as I have said, which 
are not SAveet -scented, bnt the following are, I think, amongst the 
most fragrant of the class ; Alfred Colomb, Alfred Dumesnill, 
Annie Wood, Beauty of \Yaltham, Bessie Johnson, Camille Ber- 
nardier, Capt, Hayward, Charles LefebAi^e, Centifolia Rosea, 
Duchess of Fife, Due de Montpensier, very sweet ; E. Y. Teas, 
General Jacqueminot, Heinrich Schultlieis, very sweet : Jeannie 
Dickson, Jules Margotin, Lord Macaula}^. Mdm. Gabriel Luizet, 
Mad. Victor Yerdier, Marchioness of Lorne, Marie Baumann, 
Ferdinand des Lesseps, Miss Hassard, Mrs. Harkness, Mrs. John 
Laing, Pierre Xotting, Prince C. de Rohan, Red Dragon, and 
Yiscomtesse de Yezins." 

The Rev. Da^id R. \Yilliamson, an eminent Scotch divine, and an 
authority upon all matters pertaining to the Rose, has permitted 
us to repeat his opinions so happily expressed m the Journal of 
Horticulture : — 

■ It was the immortal Shakespeare who said, in the most romantic 
of all his dramas, "Romeo and Juliet" — "A Rose by any other 
name would smell as sweet." Nevertheless, it cannot be denied 
that certain names of Roses, such, for example, as La France and 
Marie Baumann, are suggestive of fragrance, whilst others are not. 
And doubtless the want of fragrance in a flower, however imposing 
in appearance, is a serious limitation, almost as regrettable as the 
lack of moral sweetness in a beautiful woman. Some Roses, indeed, 
are so very impressive, so commanding in their size and sub- 
stance and splendour of complexion, that we almost forget 
the total absence of odour in the construction of theu^ dainty 
petals, and among these we may reckon Baroness Rothschild 
("who would be white if she were not always blushing, as if in the 
consciousness of her beauty," says the Dean of Rochester), the 
^Yhite Baroness and Merveille de Lyon. The two beautiful Roses 
last named are closely affiliated to the first, and, unless in colour, 
partake of the parental qualities and characteristics, a fact which 
maybe learned by any rosarian Avithout reference to the catalogues, 
by comparing their nature and manner of development. 

* In my own garden, where, for the sake of their colour not less 
than their fragrance, the fairest flowers are partially shaded from 
the oft-times too exacting sun, Roses are arranged according to 



S J FEE T-SMELLING PLANTS 



117 



their parentage — an interesting experiment, and a valuable one 
also, as I have already learned from experience, for the study of 
their attributes. There, White Lady, which I have frequently 
eulogised for its exquisite perfume, finds itself in close proximity 
to Lady Mary Fitzwilliam ; while Margaret Dickson, the most 
superb and majestic of ivory-white Roses, is not far distant from 
Merveille de Lyon, though considerably nearer to the prolific Lady 
Mary, from whom her fragrance is derived. On the same principle, 
Augnstine Guinoisseau, one of the most fragrant of modern Roses, 
blooms sweetly beside the silvery pink La France. The colour of 
the former is white, delicately and most gracefully sufiiised with 
rose. It is a very abundant bloomer, and its pendulous habit is a 
valuable characteristic, constantly giving it the appearance of being- 
much fuller and more perfect than it is. Though I do not profess 
to be a great authority on Rose cultivation, I do not hesitate to 
recommend this " almost white La France" to those of my readers 
to whom it is a stranger, by reason of the qualities to which I have 
referred. 

* Among Teas and Noisettes two of the most attractive are 
LTdeal and Souvenir de S. A. Prince. Mrs. Paul has a most deli- 
cious fragrance, much resembling that of the old Monthly Rose ; it 
is also remarkable for form and substance, and is altogether a dis- 
tinct and splendid acquisition. Among other comparatively recent 
productions which I find irresistibly fascinating by reason of theii^ 
sweetness of odour and aspect are Corinna and Salamander, Prince 
Ai^thur, the beautiful Duchess of Fife, Lady Ethel Brownlow, 
Crimson Redder, and Mrs. John Laing. There is unquestionably 
at present a strong and growing aversion to inodorous Roses, and I 
doubt not that ere long a Rose without fragrance will be accounted 
an anomaly.' 

We will now take the views of another authority, Mr. C. J. 
Grahame of Croydon, whose permission we have to use some valu- 
able notes that appeared in the Qardtutr^ Magazine. 

' You may break, you may shatter, the vase if you will. 
But the scent of the roses will hang round it still.' 

— MooEE's IrWi Mdodies. 

' Oh ! what a pity, this rose has no scent 1 Many have made this 
remark when they have been given a good specimen of such Roses as 
Baroness Rothschild, Her Majesty, or Suzanne Rodocanachi, and 
not being rosarians have been much disappointed with a flower, of 
lovely appearance indeed, but which, in their opinion, lacked the 
most desii^able quality generally associated with the Rose. It is 
very odd that there are many scentless light-coloured Roses, but 



i8 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



as a kind of compensating balance, and to re-establish the equili- 
brium, the sweetest scented of all are also amongst the light- 
coloured varieties ; and when I mention La France, Madame 
Gabriel Lnizet, and Madame Montet as amongst those most delight- 
fully fragrant, they are also good representatives of what Roses 
should be in all respects. In regard to fragrance, they favourably 
contrast with such varieties as Her Majesty, tlie Baroness, Pride 
of Waltham, and some of the Verdier family, which are beautiful, 
and charm by nearly ever}^ good qualitj^, but are lacking in the one 
most desirable and agreeable to the majority of people, xiz. scent. 

' In the Tea class there are some which stand out as distinctly in 
this desirable possession as the before-mentioned sweetest of all 
H.P.s. When I mention separately the hybrid Tea Viscountess 
Folkestone as second to none in this advantage, I regret that the 
word hybrid " is necessary, as it is a great pity it has just missed 
having all the requisites for being classed amongst those Roses to 
which it is so nearly allied, and is, in its high qualities, so similar. 
Of the J^'oisette and Tea class proper, we must place Marechal Xiel in 
the first rank. There are few to equal it, and none to excel it, in 
its delicious scent. The Rose which I think fairly equals it is 
Madame de AVatte^^lle, and Madame Cusin also is very nearly as 
sweet. These Roses have not the exact scent which we usually 
class as ^^Tea," but they are very delightful, and a bed of either 
fills the air with fragrance when the flowers are in full bloom. 
Devoniensis is a delightful Rose in this and every other way, but 
few people can grow it. Luciole is also a sweetly-scented Rose, 
and in the noisette Jaune Desprez there is a peculiar Orange-flower 
tone which is agreeable to many, but I think is too strong, as the 
scent of the Rose should be a delicate one. 

'A new Rose which, for size and fragrance, will take a very high 
rank is Marchioness of Londonderry, a flower of the largest size, of 
an ivory white colour, and with a very marked scent, similar to the 
Magnolia, but naturalh^ without the over-powerful strength of 
that lovely Lemon-scented flower. Amongst the best of the dark 
red varieties I would place our oldest favourites. More especially 
do I refer to such well-tried friends as A. K. Williams, Charles 
Lefebvre, Comte Raimbaud, Marie Baumann, and Victor Hugo, 
than which none are l^etter in every way. It is unfortunate that 
Duke of Edinburgh and Suzanne Rodocanachi are absolutely scent- 
less ; the latter being a Rose of great value in most seasons, and the 
former a good autumnal. 

' There are many roses I have not mentioned which are verj^ sweet ; 
for instance, Alfred Colomb, Maurice Bernardin, Mrs. Paul, General 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



119 



Jacqueminot, Madame Isaac Pereire, Jeamiie Dickson, Pierre dot- 
ting, and others, amongst the H.P. and Bourbon varieties ; and 
Comtesse de Xadaillac, the Gloire de Dijon types (such as Bouquet 
d'Or and Madame Berard), Sunset, Souvenir d'Elise, Edith Gifford, 
Celine Forestier, Bubens, and others amongst the Teas and Noisettes. 
They are all very sweet, but those I have specially mentioned in the 
course of this note are the most highly favoured in this respect.' 

' There is a common idea that all Roses are sweet-scented, but this 
is not true of the present-day varieties, however true it may have 
been some years ago. With the hope of assisting cultivators who 
appreciate the sweet and delicate perfume of these flowers, I will 
name a few of the most beautiful. Socrates has, in my opinion, the 
richest scent. Next to this come Catherine Mermet, Souvenir d'un 
Ami, Madame Cusin, Adriene Christophle, Aline Sisley, Comtesse 
Riza du Pare, Devoniensis, Goubalt, Louis de Savoie, Primrose 
Dame, Rubens, Souvenir de Paul Neron, The Queen, synonymous 
with Souvenir de S. A. Prince, Souvenir de Madame Pernet, The 
Bride, Viscountess Folkestone, Waltham Climber No. 2, Celine 
Forestier, Jaune Desprez, Unique Jaune, Triomphe de Rennes, 
Marechal Niel, and last, but by no means least, Gloire de Dijon, 
are all highly-scented Teas and Noisettes. 

^ There are a few very sweetly perfumed Roses among the Hybrid 
Perpetuals and Bourbons, the best perhaps being La France, Abel 
Grand, Souvenir de Charles Montault, Due de Montpensier, 
Magna Charta, Baronne Prevost, Beauty of Waltham, Madame 
Gabrielle Luizet, Augustine Guinnosseau, Edward Morren, General 
Jacqueminot, Souvenir de la Reine d'Angleterre, Charles Darwin, 
Heinrich Schultheis, Reine du Midi, Lord Macaulay, Madame 
Furtado, Elizabeth Vigneron, Monsieur E. Y. Teas, Marie Verdier, 
Mrs. John Laing, The Puritan, Sir Garnet Wolseley, Paul Verdier, 
and Miss Hassard. 

' Some of the miniature Roses are also very fragrant ; Anne Marie 
de Montravel, Gloire de Polyantha, and Madame Cecil Brunner being 
among the best. China Roses are represented by that best of 
Chinas, Mrs. Bosanquet, while of the Mosses we must name Soupert 
et Netting, Madame Moreau and Lanei. The Microphylla Rose, 
Ma Surprise, is one of the sweetest-scented Roses grown. Souvenir 
de la Malmaison, and Baronne de Noirmont are good, also the old 
Cabbage or Provence Rose. Several of the newer tea-scented Roses 
are particularly sweet-scented. Among them we must include 
Madame Joseph Godier (extra), Sappho, Mrs. James Wilson, 
Kaiserin Friedrich, and Luciole, in addition to those newer kinds 
already named.' — Amateur Gardening, 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



' AYitli the excej)tion of Baroness Eothscliikl. Merveille de Lyon. 
Mabel Morrison, and a few others — at most half a dozen— all Roses 
are s^veet-scented. There are some. howeA-er. that are exquisitely 
so, and the following dozen will take high rank among such : 
Charles Darwin, a free groAver, Avith A-ery rich crimson flowers of a 
full and globular form : Due de Montpensier, glowing scarlet, and 
intensely SAveet-scented : Socrates, coppery yelloAv. the most fruity - 
smelling rose groAvn ; Catherine ]\Iermet, pink, perfect form, per- 
fume like a ripe Peach ; Comtesse Riza du Pare, coppery pink, a 
good garden Rose, and A'ery sweet : Earl of Dufterin, very dark 
crimson, large and A-ery full ; General .Jacc|ueminot. gioAAing scarlet, 
with darker shadings, one of our A^ery best garden Roses, and 
highly fragrant ; La France, bright lilac-pink. AAutli sih-er}' Avhite 
shadings, (extra) ; Madame Clemence Joigneaux. pink and carmine, 
A'ery large, and a A-igorous grower : Miss Hassard. flesh-colour, A^ery 
SATeet ; LTdeal, copper, metallic pink, rose, and yelloAv. all suftused 
into one another, small, btit a grand Rose. Avith delightful fragrance, 
which can be recognised a long AA'ay ofl' : and SoiiA^enir de S. A. 
Prince, a pure white form of SouA-enir d'un Ami. one of the oldest 
and sweetest Roses. It Avere equally easy to name tAA-eh^e more so 
sweet that one would haA'e difliculty in choosing betAveen them. 
Of the aboA'e, I think LTdeal and Socrates are the SAveetest. 

' The best growers amongst the sweet-smelling Roses are to be 
fotmd in those bearing light or rose-coloured floAA'ers. You will, 
lioAA'eA'er, find the folio Aving tAveh-e fairly good ; A, K. Williams, 
E. Y. Teas, Prince Camille de Rohan, Annie Wood, Emily Laxton, 
Empress of India, Eclair, Raoul Guillard, Jean Soupert, ]vladame 
Isaac Pereire, SouA-enir de Charles Montault, and Paul Yerdier. 
Amongst the light-coloured Roses Ijearing fragrant flowers I regard 
Madame Gabrielle Luizet as the best : Augustine Guiuoisseau i or 
White La France) is also A^ery good : others of all criLjur^, po-vess- 
ing A'arious degrees of sweetness. Avill be found in Caroline d'Arden, 
Marchioness of Lorae, Duchess of Albany, ^Ir. J. BroAvnloAv. Mrs. 
J. Laing, Marie L. Pernett, La France. Francois Courting, Marie 
Yerdier, Felix Genero, Dr. Grill. ]\Iarquis de YiA^ens, G. Xarbon- 
nard, The Puritan, Danmark, Charles Gates. Bessie Johnsou, 
Adam, Goubault, Lamarque, Madame Joseph Godier. Charles ]\Ior- 
gottin, Elizabeth Yigneron, Alice Dureau. Rosy Morn. If you 
are interested in sweet-scented Roses. aaJia' not grow the old 
Cabbage Hose, also the China A-arieties and Peine Blanche ? " — 
Gardening III nstrated. 

* It is said that in hospitals the poor sick patients, if alloAved to 
pick a Rose, ahA'ays select La France. There are some tAA^o dozen 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



121 



Roses which are delightful in this respect, and I will name them, 
giving the colours of the flowers. I can strongly recommend them 
all as delightful in every respect : La France, silvery pink ; Mrs. 
John Laing, dark pink; Gabriel Luizet, light pink; Charles Le- 
febvre, dark red ; Victor Hugo, dark scarlet ; Marie Bamnann, 
carmine ; A. K. Williams, dark red ; Madame Montet, rose colour; 
Madame deWatteville, rose-tipped petals of pale salmon; Ernest Metz, 
carnation pink ; Madame Lambard, varying from light red to light 
buff ; Celine Forestier, canary yellow ; Marechal Niel, deep yellow ; 
Lamarc^ue, lemon and white ; Madame Berard, buff and salmon ; 
Sunset, orange ; Bouquet d'Or, orange yellow ; Souvenir d'un Ami, 
pink ; General Jacqueminot, bright red ; Prince Camille de Rohan, 
black red ; Augustine Guinosseau, the white La France ; Viscountess 
Folkestone, salmon and cream colour ; Gloire de Dijon, variable in 
colour from yellow to salmon ; andLuciole.' — G ard en er^s Magazine. 

' How sweet to walk the velvet green 
Where the embowering Eoses meet ; 
Resplendent Rose, the queen of flowers ! 
Oh, is not their scent divinely' sweet ? ' — Moore. 

The Perfume of Roses. — Mr. Curtis of Torquay, an eminent Rose- 
grower, describes seventeen different sorts of scent in Roses as fol- 
lows : ' Sweet Brier scent, as in the garden variety ; Moss Rose scent, 
as in Common Moss and family ; Austrian Brier-scent, as in Copper 
Austrian and family ; Musk Rose scent, as in Narcissus, old Musk 
and family ; Myrrh scent, as in Ayrshire splendens ; China Rose 
scent, an astringent, refreshing scent, as in old Monthly China and 
many others ; Damask perpetual scent, as in Rose du Roi, etc. ; 
Scotch Rose scent, as in the early double Scotch ; Violet scent, as in 
White Banksian ; old Cabbage scent, as in the well-known double 
Provence ; Otto perpetual scent, as in Charles Lefebvre, Madame 
Knorr, etc. ; true perpetual scent, as in Chabrilland, Pierre Notting, 
etc. ; old Tea scent, as in the old Yellow Tea or Magnolia Rose, 
and others almost unpleasantly strong for some tastes ; Sweet Tea 
scent, as in Goubault, Marechal Niel, etc. ; hybrid Tea scent, as in 
La France ; Nectarine, or fruit scent, as in Socrates, Jaune Desprez, 
Aline Sisley, etc. ; and the Verdier scent, represented more or less 
by all the Victor Verdier hybrids, such a& Eugenie Verdier, Castel- 
lane. Countess of Oxford, 'Marie Finger, etc. The petals of the 
highly-scented varieties have on their inner surface minute perfume 
glands or vesicles, containing the highly volatile essence, under the 
microscope distinctly visible. Those on the petals of Sweet Brier 
and Moss are almost visible to the naked eye. Mr. Curtis con- 
cludes that the following are the most deliciously and powerfully 



122 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



scented varieties : — La France, Goiibault, DevoniensiSj Marechal 

Mel, Bessie Johnson, Madame Knorr, Pierre Netting, and Charles 

Lef ebvre. ' — Gardening World. 
Rosanowia. — A tuberous -rooted gesneraceous family, with various 

coloured flowers ; some of the group are sweetly scented. 
Rose. See Rosa. 

Rosmarinus officinalis (Rosemary). — A shrubby bush from South-East 
Europe ; popular in British gardens on account of its agreeable 
fragrance. In olden times it was held in high esteem as a comforter 
of the brain and a strengthener of the memory, and on the latter 
account it is an emblem of fidelity with lovers ; the Germans used 
it as a spice, and placed it in wardrobes as a preventive against 
vermin. Sprigs were also stuck into roasting beef for communi- 
cating to it an excellent relish. The dried herb when burnt is 
useful for sweetening the air, and its chief value in the present day 
is as a perfume in the manipulation of scented soaps. 

Roulinia. — A tropical American family of twining plants, with pale 
yellow flowers. 

Roupellia grata. — ^A climbing plant from West Africa. The flowers 
are rosy white, opening clear pink and changing to creamy white. 
They grow in terminal clusters, and are produced in great profu- 
sion. One can imagine the size of the plant, as it rambles over the 
roof, when we say tlmt the effect as seen from a little distance is 
that of an Apple orchard in bloom. The flowers are of great sub- 
stance and deliciously fragrant. 

Rubus odoratus (Floicering Bramble). — A hardy deciduous North 
American trailing plant, with pale red scented flowers, useful and 
pretty in places suitable for its rambling disposition : — 

' Pale she was as the Bramble-blooms 

That fill the fields with their faint perfumes.' — Ovv^en Meredith. 

Rudbeckia subtomentosa. — A North American herbaceous plant, 
bearing a profusion of small, sunflower-like blooms, yellow, with 
chocolate discs, smelling sweetly of new-mown hay ; the foliage 
is also impregnated with a similar odour. 

Ruta graveolens [Rue, Hei^h of Grace). — A shrubby plant, native of 
the temperate parts of Europe, and common in British gardens. 
Rue was employed medicinally by the ancients, and for ages it lias 
been considered potent to ward off contagion. The whole plant has 
a peculiar odour which can hardly be called a sweet scent, and to 
this day is largely employed for strewing over the hustings on the 
occasion of the election of Lord Mayor and Sheriffs at the Guildhall 
in London. It is not clearly known how this custom originated, but 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



123 



the prevalent idea is that it arose at the time of the Pkgiie in 
London. The same custom prevailed many years ago in the Law 
and Criminal Conrts, in the latter case as a preventive against 
gaol fever. Dickens refers to it in his ' Two Cities ' ; the scene is 
laid at Newgate in 1775. A few sprigs of Rue hung in a room 
will keep away flies from the apartment. 
Rutosma Texana.— An herbaceous plant with strong-smelling leaves. 

Salpianthus fragrans. — An evergreen seaside shrub from Chili, with 

white-orange flowers. 
Salvertia convallariodora. — A shrubby Brazilian tree, bearing white 

paniculate floAvers, emitting a most delightful scent resembling that 

of Lily of the Valley. 
Salix pentandra. — A British Willow, with fragrant foliage. 
Salvia. — A genus of shrubby herbaceous plants, of which the common 

Sage is a member ; their native habitat is mostly Soutli Europe ; 

some, however, are found in Asia, and a few in Xorth America. 

S. glutinom possesses scented attractions, for both its flowers and 

foliage exhale a pleasant odour, whilst the leaA'es of rufilans are 

delightfully fragrant of the Pineapple. 
Sambucus (Elder). — A common British deciduous shrubby tree, 

teeming with grandmotherly traditions and superstitions ; its 

flowers possess a honeydike scent, and a country wine is made 

from the berries. 

'Another sweet perfume, but tliat I know well, 
'Tis the Elder-flower's luscious and honey-rich smell.' — Twamley. 

Samyda suaveolens. — A Brazilian forest tree, with white, deliciously 
scented flowers, recalling the odour of Orange-blossoms. 

Santolina chamaecyparissus [Lavender Cotton). — This shrubby plant 
from Southern Europe, common in British gardens, is very like the 
Lavender in the effect it produces, being of a similar soft grey 
colour, but happily it flourishes where Lavender would fail. It 
makes a big, spreading, dense bush, and if it overgrows its situa- 
tion it will bear cutting back with mipunity. It is showy when in 
bloom, having large composite flowers of a rich yellow colour. The 
whole plant gives off a strong but agreeable odour, and is often used 
in the country for placing in wardrobes to keep away the moth. 

Saponaria officinalis {Soapicort). — A common British plant, bearing 
delicate rose-coloured flowers. 

Sarcostemma. — A family of tropical shrubs, often climbers, with 
strongly-scented flowers. 

Satureia. — The Savory of the herb-garden, esteemed for its powerful 
aromatic flavour. 



124 



AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Saxifraga moschata. — A scented variety of this large family of 
Alpine plants, from t4ie Pyrenees. 

Scabiosa atropurpurea (Sweet Scabious). — A common plant known in 
cottage gardens as Mournfnl Widow. It is biennial in character, 
and bears flowers of various colours that are pleasingly honey- 
scented. 

Scsevola suaveolens. — An herbaceous shrub from the Sandwich Islands. 

Schinus. — A family of shrubby trees^ mostly natives of tropical 
America^ the leaves of some of the species are so charged with a 
resinous fluid, that they fill the air with a pleasing fragrance after 
rain. S. JJoUe is the Pepper shrub of Peru, bearing bunches of 
beautiful waxy, currant-like fruit, and the whole plant is both 
ornamental and highly fragrant. 

Schismatopera distich ophy 11a. — A small tree from tropical South 
America, bearing minute greenish-white, sweet-scented flowers. 

Schizandra grandiflora. — A climbing shrub from the Himalayas, 
with white, scented flowers and aromatic foliage. 

Schizopetalum Walkeri. — An annual from Chili, bearing white, 
scented flowers that emit a fragrance resembling Almonds. 

Schubertia. — A genus of twining shrubs from tropical America. *S'. 
grandiflora, with its umbels of white flowers, something like 
Stephanotis, possesses a powerful odour, most agreeable some dis- 
tance ofl". S. graveoleiis is another dainty variety, bearing white, 
sweet-smelling, funnel-shaped blossoms, very useful for cutting, as 
they last a long time in water. 

Scilla nutans [Blue Bells). — The English Hyacinth, whose Hawthorn- 
scented and sweet drooping flowers are the cliief ornaments of our 
woods in May, has scarcely been less celebrated by our poets than 
by the ancients in their fables. A fair poetess contemplates its 
beauties under the popular name in the following delightful strain : — 

' Bluebell ! liow gaily art thou dressed, 

How neat and trim thou art, sweet flower ; 
How silky is thy azure vest, 

How fresh to flaunt at morning's hour I 
Couldst thou but think, I might well say 

Thou art as proud in rich array 
As lady, blithesome, young and vain, 
Prank'd up with folly and disdain, 

Sweet flower. 
Sweet flovrer, whose modest beauties blow 

Deep in the green and silent vale 
Where willows, bending o'er the stream, 

Wave gently to the passing gale I ' 

'It is impossible to conceive any bulbous or other plant more 
beautiful than the Scilla when fairly cultivated. They are also 



5 WEE T- SMELLING PL A NTS 



125 



extremeh' useful for cutting, as well as effective in the garden. 
The flowers last long in water after they are cut. and vases fur- 
nished with Scillas and Snowdrops, or Lily of the Valley, with 
small sprays of Spirti-a Japonica, are sights beautiful to behold : 
whilst flowers of Scillas, mounted singly or in threes, are admirable 
in all bouquets in which light colours prevail. 
Sclerolobium chrysophyllum. — A Brazilian forest tree, with yellow 
flowers. 

Sedum rhodiola. See Rhodiola. 

Senecio odorus. — An herbaceous perennial from Australia, a member 
of a very large familj^ of flowering plants. aS'. odorcdum. blue, is 
also delightfully fragrant. 

Serruria odorata. — An evergreen shrub from South Africa, with pink 
flowers. 

Shorea robusta. — An Indian timber tree, bearing panicles of very 

sweet-smelling flowers. 
Silene nutans. — The white sweet-scented Catchfly, found growing 

wild on the English coasts. 
Sisyrinchium odoratissimum. — A hardy American herbaceous plant, 

with deliciously fragrant flowers, white and rose in colour, and 

delicate grass -like foliage. 
Skimmia japonica. — An evergreen Japanese shrub, bearing white 

flowers. S. laureola^ S. ruheUa. and S. fragrans are all equally 

attractive. 

Smilacina racemosa. — An American slmibby plant, bearmg creamy- 
white, fragrant flowers, followed by a purple aromatic berry. 
Snowflake. See Leucojum vernum. 

Solanum fragrans. — A South American shrub, bearing singular 
racemes of changeable coloured flowers, of a very powerful and 
agreeable fragrance. 

Solidago odora. — An American herbaceous perennial plant, ^ith 
fragrant leaves, from ^^hich an oil is distilled. >S'. anisata is Aniseed- 
scented. 

Southernwood. See Artemisia. 

Sparaxis fragrans. — A scented variety of this damty South African 
flowering bulbous plant. 

Spartium junceum {Spani-<h Broom). — A shrubby bush, bearing hand- 
some yellow Pea flowers at the end of tlie twigs, highly per- 
fumed and very attractive to bees. Allied to the Cytisus and 
Genista. 

Sphaeranthus mollis. — A common Indian annual, remarkable when fresh 

for the strong lioney-like odour that pervades the whole plant. 
Sphenogyne odorata. — A yellow-flowered annual from South Africa. 



126 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



Spiranthera odoratissima. — A tropical American evergreen shrub, 

bearing white and red flowers. 
Spiraea Ulmaria [Meadow Sweet). — A common British plant fomid in 

hedgerows — the flowers possess an Almond-like fragrance. Almost 

all representatives of this family bear peculiar smelling attractions. 

but they can hardly be designated scents ; excepting perhaps S. 

sorhifolia, which smells sweetly. 
Spironema fragrans. — An herbaceous Mexican plant, with small 

white fragrant flowers clustered along its rigid branches. 
Stackhousia. — A genus of Australian herbaceous perennial plants, 

bearing racemes of dainty white or yellow flowers, possessing a 

grateful honey-like perfume. 
Staehilina dubia. — A shrub from the South of Europe, scented very 

much like Rosemary. 
Stannia formosa. — A Central American tree with large white fragrant 

flowers. 

Stauntonia latifolia. — A Chinese climbing shrub, bearing dense clusters 
of deliciously scented flowers. S. liexapliyUa is also fragrant. See 
also Holboellia. 

Staurophragma natolicum. — A shrubby herb, with downy leaves and 
scented yellow flowers. 

Stephanotis floribunda [Creeping Tuberose). — A climbing evergreen 
from Madagascar, largely cultivated in our hothouses for the great 
beauty of its deliciously fragrant white tube-shaped flowers, which 
are borne in bunches. It is certainly one of the most lovely plants 
in this respect ever introduced, and should be grown wherever hot- 
house protection can be given. 

The flowers are produced in enormous quantities for bouquets 
and other floral adornments, and the powerful odour with which 
they are impregnated gives this tropical plant a foremost position 
amongst sweet-smelling beauties as it is most choice and delightful. 

Stereospermum suaveolens.— A tropical Indian tree, bearing purple, 
highly fragrant flowers. Allied to the Bignonia. 

Sternbergia lutea. — A bulbous plant from the East of Europe, produc- 
ing yellow, fragrant flowers in the early autumn, in form reminding 
us of the spring Crocus. The flowers stand up like golden cups 
on the verdant cushion of their leaves, and being of considerable 
substance, last a long time. There is no more cheerful-looking 
flower in the garden at a season when summer is dying away. 

Stevia suaveolens. — A West Indian herbaceous shrub, bearing corymbs 
of white- scented flowers. 

Stock. See Matthiola. 

Strawberry. See Fragaria. 



6- WEE T-SMELLIXG PLA NTS 



127 



Stylocoryne Weberi. — A tropical evergreen shrub, bearing Ixora-like 
flowers, which emit a delightful fragrance. 

Styrax japonica. — A deciduous shrub from Japan, where it is in great 
request for the production of its sweet-scented, pure white flowers, 
which are largely employed in decorating the surroundings of the 
dwellings of the upper classes. It is quite hardy in England, and 
should be grown wherever beautiful flowers are appreciated. 

Swallowort. Sf-.t Asclepias. 

Sweet Bay. .See Laurus. 

Sweet Pea. Ste Lathyrus odoratus. 

Sweet Sultan. See Centaurea. 

Sweet Rocket. See Hesperis. 

Sweet William. S^e Dianthus. 

Symphyonema paludosa. — An Australian herbaceous fehrul), bearing 
spikes of yellow bloom, smelling like Patchouli. 

Symplocos tinctoria {Su:eetleaf). — An American shridj. bearing clusters 
of fragrant bloom, with other attractions. 

Syringa persica {Lilac). — The Persian Lilac is a common shrubby 
tree in our gardens, and it is doubtful if an}' thing in the whole 
range of flowering shrubs surpasses this popular fancy in grace and 
elegance, or hardiness and usefuhiess. 

As a decorative plant upon the lawn or in the border it has few 
ec|uals, and its pure white or true Lilac-coloured plumes of sweetly 
fragrant blossoms are admired by all. The white varieties are 
grown in large quantities for producing bloom at Christmas and 
other seasons of the year when dainty flowers are scarce. There 
are also some double forms largeh' grown in France that are equally 
attractive. See also Philadelphus. 

Tabernaemontana coronaria fiorepleno {2Ioonheams). — An Indian 
evergreen shrub, bearing large white double Gardenia -like flowers, 
emitting a delicious fragrance during the night. T. didiotomo. is 
an equally attractive variety popularly known as Eve's Apple, or the 
Forbidden Fruit of Paradise, from the resemblance its fruits have 
to a partly-eaten apple. T. odorata is another pleasing variety, 
whilst T. cannasict is Stephanotisdike in its perfume. 

Tagetes. — A species of Marigold, natiA'e of Central America, many 
varieties are very popular as dwarf annuals in our gardens, on 
account of theu^ bright golden-yellow flowers, which are produced 
in the greatest profusion from June until the frost destroys 
them. The foliage also possesses a peculiar but agreeable fra- 
gTance when bruised, and the best kuovsm kinds are T. i^'^^ti'^ct, 
T. signata, and T. lucida, whilst T. erecta is a giant variety, now 



128 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



produced in many shades of colour, with flowers as large as a Rose, as 
symmetrical as a Camellia, and commonly known as French Marigold. 

Talauma pumila. — A delightful Chinese shrub, bearing a white globular 
flower the size of a Tulip, opening at night and falling in the 
morning. A single blossom will perfume the garden for a distance 
around with a Quince -like fragrance. Some of the South American 
species are equally attractive. Allied to the Magnolia. 

Tanacetum vulgare [Tansy). — The common Tansy of our garden is 
an herbaceous perennial with finely cut fern-like foliage, strongly 
aromatic in scent. It is but rarely used now-a-days except as a 
remedy to keep flies out of the room, for which purpose its presence 
is very eff'ectual. 

Tansy. See Tanacetum. 

Tarchonanthus camphorata. — An evergreen shrub from South Africa, 
Camphor- scented. 

Tasmannia aromatica. — A Tasmanian evergreen shrub possessing aro- 
matic properties, particularly in its bark, which is powdered and 
used as pepper. 

Tecophiloea cyanocrocus. — A Chilian bulbous plant, with deep blue 
Crocus-like flowers, delicately scented. It is one of the loveliest 
spring-flowering bulbs, the azure blue blossoms resembling the 
well-known Gentiana acaidis. It requires a sunny position in a 
sheltered spot, and the scent is similar to the Violet. T. Leichtlini 
has also a sweet perfume. 

Temus moschata. — An evergreen shrub from Chili, with Musk-scented 
flowers. 

Thorn Apple. See Datura. 

Thuja occidentalis. — An ornamental garden shrub, with bright green 
foliage, everywhere pervaded by a powerful aromatic odour, peculiar 
in a greater or less degree to the whole family. 

Thunbergia fragrans. — An herbaceous climber, with snow-white 
fragrant flowers, a native of tropical India. 

Thyme. See Thymus. 

Thymophylla aurea. — A hardy annual from the United States of 
America, with small yellow flowers which yield a strong aromatic 
odour. 

Thymus. — A genus of trailing herbs, natives of Europe, and common 
in all gardens. T. vulgaris is largely used in British cookery for 
flavourings. T. citriodorus, the Lemon-scented Thyme, is another 
popular kind, with a beautifully variegated relation employed as 
an edging to flower-beds, there are other sorts found growing wild 
in many parts of the country. All possess an aromatic scent. T. 
Corsica is a miniature variety grown on rockeries or amongst 




SYRINGA. 



Vincent Brooks, Day & Son, Lith. 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



129 



stones in walks, where the influence of its dainty fragrance fills the 
air when trodden upon. It is sometimes alleged of the Thyme 
that sheep do love to crop its fragrant leaves, and that, as a conse- 
quence, a fine flavour is imparted to their flesh. 

' The sweeter Thyme whose fragrant head 
Bends to the weary traveller's tread.' — Mant. 

Tilia Europaea (Lime or Linden Tree). — An elegant deciduous tree 
from South Europe, largely grown for ornamental purposes in 
all well- arranged pleasure-grounds, where its beauty in the spring 
and early summer is most attractive, the honey-laden blossoms 
attracting myriads of bees, and distilling their delightful odours in 
the evening air. During the balmy summer nights towards the end 
of June its fragrance is very powerful. See Illustration. 

Tinnea iEthiopica. — A tropical plant, bearing richly coloured Pea-like 
flowers that emit an odour resembling Violets. 

Tobacco. See Nicotiana affinis. 

Toddolia oculeata. See Paullinia. 

Toxicophlaea spectabilis ( Winter Sweet). — A South African shrubby 
tree, bearing dense clusters of small white flowers that are de- 
liciously fragrant, and diffuse a very pleasant aroma, especially 
during sunshine. 

Toyo. — A fragrant plant from Central America, infusions from which 

are used as a remedy for coughs. 
Tradescantia odorata. — A scented variety of the American Spiderwort; 

a liliaceous plant, some kinds of which are largely grown in gardens. 
Trametes odora. — A fungus, smelling like Aniseed. 
Trichopilia. See Orchids. 

Tribulus lanuginosus. — A trailing plant, bearing large bright yellow, 

sweet-scented flowers. 
Trifolium (Glover). — All the common pasture varieties of this family 

possess a honey-like fragrance, whilst the white flowers of T. 

odo7xUum, an Italian variety, is specially sweet-scented. 
Trillium grandiflorum (Wood Lily). — A North American herbaceous 

plant bearing pure white, sweetly-scented flowers, very popular in 

English gardens. 

Tritonia odorata. — A South African bulbous plant, producing sweetly- 
fragrant yellow flowers. The whole family, although ha^^g little 
scented attractions, are admirably adapted for cutting purposes, 
and should be largely used in all decorative arrangements. 

Trigonella. — An extensive genus of herbaceous leguminous plants, of 
which Fenugreek is a member. All the species possess a powerful 
odour. 

Triphasia trifoliata. — A thin shrub, native of Tonquin, bearing 

I 



130 AJV ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



white, scented flowers, followed by a fruit which is used in jam- 
making. 

Tripteris. — A genus of Arabia.n herbs, with odoriferous leaves. 
Trymalium odoratissimum. — An Australian evergreen shrub, bearing 

white, sweet-scented flowers. 
Tuberose. Bee. Polianthes tuberosa. 

Tulipa {Tulip). — A well-known genus of bulbous plants, largely cul- 
tivated for their magnificent flowers. It is unfortunate that so 
many of the most beautiful varieties possess no scent whatever ; 
there are a few species, however, that claim a place m our list on 
this account, although they do not by any means possess a power- 
ful fragrance. The common wild Tulip, T. gesneriana^ has yellow 
flowers that are slightly scented ; T, golden prince, single yellow ; 
Yellow Rose, double yellow ; T. Due van Tliol : T. macro2ohylla, 
plum ; T. celsiana fragrans, from Algiers ; T. primulina, from the 
same part ; T. Billietiana, deliciously fragrant ; T. persica, T. 
suaveolens, T. sylvestris, very sweet scented ; T. florentina, violet 
scented. A writer in The Garden says, ^We all remember the 
sweet-scented old cottage-garden Tulips of years ago ; but, alas I 
how rarely do we see them now-a-days.' 

Turnsole. See Heliotropium. 

Tussilago fragrans (Winter Heliotrope). — An Italian variety of the 
common Coltsfoot, bearing dainty spikes of purplish flowers in 
midwinter. Its delicious fragrance of Heliotrope renders it a 
plant worthy of extended cultivation for conservatory decoration at 
a season of the year wdien scented bloom is scarce. In some parts 
of Germany the peasants make garlands of this flower on Easter 
Day and burn them as a token for good luck. T. farfara is the 
common wayside kind, which throws up its yellow blooms in earl}^ 
spring, bringing with them a spicy smell of Cocoanut, and followed 
by a crown of downy seeds which spread in every direction. 

Ulex (Furze, Gorse, or Whin). — An evergreen bush found growing 
wild upon heaths, uplands, and wastes throughout the British Isles, 
and also in many parts on the Continent. It carries prickly foliage, 
at the points of which peep out clusters of brilliant yellow pea- 
shaped blossoms, smelling strongly of Cocoanut. It is said to have 
been the plant that most struck Dillenius when he first trod on 
English ground, and he thanked Heaven that he was permitted to 
view the golden imdulation of acres of the wind-waved Gorse. The 
great botanist Linnosus lamented that he could not get it to thrive 
in Sweden, and envied England its possession. Its beauties have 
been immortalised by the poets. Whole sides of the hills in Jersey 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



131 



are tliickly mantled with the golden radiance of this beautifnl wild 
plant, and the Vallee des Yaiix is sometimes alive with its Instre. 

' There alone have I roamed 'mid blossoms of gold, 
And forgot that the great world was crowded and cold, 
Nor "believed that a land of enchantment conld show 
A vale more divine than the Yallee de Vaux.' — Richardson. 

There is an old proverb : — ' When Gorse is out of blossom, kissing is 
out of fashion ' — that is never. The Gorse blooms nearly all the year. 
Unona discolor. — A small spreading shrub with pale j^ellow odorous 
flowers, 

Uvaria odorata. — An Indian shrub with scented flowers and aromatic 
properties, largely employed in yielding fragrant gums and oils. 
U, aromatica from Guiana is likewise very fragrant. See also 
Cananga. 

Valeriana Celtica. — A common plant in the South of Europe, cultivated 
for the aromatic properties attached to its roots, which is much 
prized by Eastern nations for perfuming their baths. This feature 
is to an extent apparent in most of the species, although not so 
pronounced in some as in others. 

Vanilla aromatica. — An orchidaceous plant from tropical America 
that bears a pod largely employed in flavourings. 

Vernonia odoratissima. — An herbaceous plant from Central America 
bearing purple flowers. 

Verbena officinalis ( Vervain), — An herbaceous British plant, also known 
as ' Herb of Grace ' ; so greatly was it esteemed in olden times that 
it was frec^uently worn about the person to ward off evil associa- 
tions. There are many other species of this family that are both 
beautiful and sweetly fragrant, notably some kinds of the garden 
Verbena, so largely used for summer decoration. The Lemon-scented 
Verbena, whilst botanically named V. triphylla, is now generally 
known as Aloysia, the name under which we describe it ; 

' The Verbena strains 

The point of passionate fragrance.' — Browning. 

Viburnum odoratissimum. — A handsome Japanese evergreen shrub, 
bearing bunches of white flowers deliciously scented. This variety 
is now rarely seen in cultivation, but for what reason it is difficult 
to imaguie, as its scented attractions should find it a place in every 
conservatory. 

Vicia faba (Field Bean). — A native of Persia, but nov\' acclimatised 
in Europe. The flowers possess a delicate, honey-like fragrance, 



132 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



hardly perceptible in a garden bed, but quite powerful when gro^Ti 
in a large area, especially towards evening. 

* The tangled vetches purple bloom, 
The odour of the Bean's perfume, 
Be theirs alone who cultivate the soil. 

And drink the cup of thirst, and eat the bread of toil.' — Shenstoxe. 

Victoria Regia. — The royal member of the Water Lily family, native 
of the tributaries of the great Amazon river. Since it was intro- 
duced into cultivation in this country, its noble proportions and 
the delicious fragrance of its gigantic flowers have delighted 
thousands both at Kew and Eegent's Park. 

Virgilia capensis. — A tropical tree, bearing in boundless profusion 
purple and white flowers that emit a most delightful fragrance. 

Virgin's bower. /S'ee Clematis. 

Vine. See Vitis. 

Viola odorata [Sweet Violet). — A perennial trailing plant. Probably 
amongst scented flowers there is not one which can boast of such 
universal popularity as does the Violet. Indigenous to om* own 
country, it is often the subject of pleasing associations and re- 
miniscences ; and the fine varieties which cultivation has given us 
have served to greatly increase its value. 

According to mythological records the Violet undoubtedly took 
its name from lo, owing to the tradition that when that lady was 
transformed by Jove into a heifer, he caused Violets to spring up 
among the grass in order to supply her with a herbage worthy of 
her. In the transition into Latin the word became changed into 
Viola, hence the French Violette and the English term Violet. 
Other legends as to the origin of the Violet were current even in 
classical times ; but that which connects the word with lo seems to 
be the most natural, and it is certainly the most probable from an 
etymological point of view. 

' To gild refined gold, to paint the lily, 
To throw a perfume on the violet. 
Is Avasteful and ridiculous excess.' — Shakespeare. 

Rapin declares that the Violet was a fair njanph who was changed 
by Diana into this flower in order to rescue her from the attentions 
of Apollo — an idea which, at best, seems to be a feeble imitation of 
the story of Daphne and the Laurel in Ovid's 'Metamorphoses.' 
Herrick, in his * Hesperides,' has a very quaint theory on the 
subject. He says that Violets are the descendants of some un- 
fortunate girls concerning whom Cupid had one day a dispute with 
Venus as to whether she or they excelled in sweetness. The verdict 



SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



133 



being given — it is to be presumed by Cupid — against her, the god- 
dess, in her jealous rage, behaved in a most unladylike manner, 
falling upon her rivals and beating them until they became black 
and blue. 

' Love on a day, wise poets tell, 

Some time in wrangling spent, 
Whether the violets should excel, 
Or she in sweetest scent.' — Herrick. 

Allusions to the Violet are common in all literature and to all 
ages, and no flower, except perhaps the Rose, ever enjoyed so 
universal a reputation. The Latin \^iiters constantly mention it. 
Juvenal sa3^s that Violets ' of all colours ' shall be scattered over 
his house in honour of the return of his friend Catullus, who had 
been in imminent danger of shipwreck. From Horace we learn 
that in Italy the Violet soon established itself on ground allowed to 
go out of cultivation. In deserted olive plantations, he says, 
Violets and Myrtles, with all the tribe of sweet-smelling flowers, 
will soon shed their perfume. 

' "We are Violets blue, 
For our sweetness found. 
Careless in the morning shades, 
Looking on the ground. 
Love's dropp'd eyelids and a kiss, 
Such our breaths and blueness is.' 

With Pliny they were great favourites. The white Violet he 
calls ' the first messenger of spring ' ; and in another passage he 
assigns to Violets generally the highest place among scented flowers 
after Roses and Lilies. Mahomet alludes to them on at least two 
occasions. He is reported to have said that ^ the excellence of the 
Violet is as the excellence of El Islam above all other religions ' ; 
and in the Koran he begs his followers to believe that * the 
superiority of the extract of Violets above all other extracts is as 
his superiority over the rest of men. ' In the contests of the ^ Gay 
Science,' instituted by the troubadours at Toulouse, the prize 
decided apon was to take the form of a Golden Violet. Subse- 
quently the Violet was reserved for the first prize, while the second 
was to be a silver sprig of J asmine, and the third a natural bough 
of the Yellow Acacia — hence the name of ^Floral Games,' as applied 
to the competitions. These games were still in existence at the 
commencement of the present century, and some attempt was 
made, we believe, to revive them not many years ago. 

A writer tells of his gathering Violets among the spring flowers in 
his ramblings around New Orleans, but he was not attracted by 
their odour, for American Violets are scentless ; though our sweet 



34 AN ALPHABETICAL LIST OF 



flower, in all its fragrance, blooms beneath the palm-trees in many 
Eastern lands. The sweet Violets of Palestine blossom with the 
Narcissus and the Hyacinth in the opening month of the year ; and 
at that time, too, the women of Aleppo gather them to adorn their 
dark tresses. 

The Violet was, up to a comparatively recent date, not merely 
esteemed for its fragrance alone. Its medicinal virtues were highly 
thought of, and it was looked upon by the ^ physicians ' of the 
middle ages as one of their four ^ cordial ' flowers. The petals were 
used as a sort of infusion, and the roots, which are strongly emetic, 
are even now, it is said, employed to adulterate ipecacuanha. It 
is now cultivated in large areas throughout the South of France 
and Italy, and the blossoms form quite a staple commodity with 
the flower-sellers in the streets of London during winter and spring. 

In tiie time of Charles ii. a ' conserve ' called Violet sugar, or 
Violet paste, was largely consumed by 'persons of quality,' and 
was all the more popular owing to the fact that it was supposed to 
be a preventive of, if not a cure for, all sorts of pulmonary com- 
plaints. In the present day Violettes glacees, or Violet flowers 
covered with sugar, can be purchased at any Parisian confectioners, 
and are, we believe, not altogether unknown to the young ladies of 
our own country. In all Eastern countries the Violet is a 
favourite flower, and a sherbet flavoured with its blossoms is a 
common drink at the Persian and Arabian banquets. 

The scented varieties are variable in colour, the flowers being 
generally blue, or, as Shakespeare has it : 
' Violets blue as Juno's eyes 
And sweet as Cytlierea's breath.' 

Violets, like butterflies, enjoy the fresh country air, and are at 
home amid the breezes of the rural districts. They dislike dust and 
smoke, but like modestly to settle down in retired nooks, and give 
forth their perfume on the sunny banks where men least congregate. 
Yet they are tractable ; they may be brought very near the city, 
and in every garden where the Rose flourishes the Violet will grow 
and shed its fragrance. 

Amongst the most fragrant sorts may be named the following : — 
Argentceflora, almost perpetually blooming the year round, and 
possessing a wonderful fragrance ; the flowers are pure white. 
Belle de Ghatenay, pure white, beautifully embroidered with 
lavender ; there is also a double blue variety bearing this name. 
Brandyana, flowers deep Gentian blue ; Gomte Brazza's White, a 
white form of Neapolitan, flowers very double and deliciously 
fragrant ; Devoniensis^ a very dark blue, and the most fragrant ; 



SV/EET-SMELLING PLANTS 



Marie Louise, with large double flowers of lavender bine, and 
white ; Mdlle. Bertha Baron, with flowers of a beautiful indigo 
blue, double, and very strongly scented and free blooming ; Nea- 
politan, lavender blue, large double flowers ; OdoirUissima, bluish 
violet, produced in profusion upon long footstalks ; Haivson's 
White, exceedingly fragrant and snowy white, on long stems ; The 
Czar, a general favourite, with large deep violet flowers, and very 
fragrant ; Victoria, single deep blue flowers on long stems ; Victoyia 
Eegince, immense flowers of a rich violet blue, very fragrant ; and 
Wellsiana, large, deliciously-scented, and of a deep rich purple 
colour. 

' Of all the flowers which make this earth so fair — 

That bloom about our path where'er w^e go, 
Give me the Violet which lies hidden there, 
And sheds its fragrance when soft breezes blow.' 

Vitex. — A family of Eastern shrubs, with aromatic leaves. V. agnus 
castiis is the chaste tree of South Europe, and its leaves smell like 
Lavender. 

Vitis riparia. — A quick-growing, climbing species of the Vine family, 
valuable more for its fragrant flowers than for the value of its fruit, 
which is small and unimportant. 

Vochysia guianensis. — A tropical American timber tree, which bears 
panicles of lovely yellow flowers, likewise a powerful and pene- 
trating Violet-like odour, both grateful and refreshing. 

Volkameria fulgens. — A tropical shrub, bearing white flowers possess- 
ing a peculiar odour. 

Wallflower. See Cheiranthus. 

Water Lily. See Nymphsea and Nebulum. 

Watsonia marginata. — A bulbous plant from South Africa, bearing 
dense spikes of delicate, rose-coloured, richly-scented, tube-shaped 
flowers. The whole family are worthy of extended cultivation on 
account of their stately appearance and rich colours. 

Wisteria sinensis. — A Chinese climber, largely grown in English 
gardens, on walls, and over the porches of houses ; it bears 
beautiful drooping racemes of pale blue and white flowers in early 
summer, and they possess a delicate honey-like fragrance. 

Woodbine. See Lonicera. 

Woodruff. See Asperula. 

Ximenia Americana. — A Mexican shrub, now largely grown in the 
East. Its delicate white flowers are very fragrant, and the wood 
is also odoriferous. X. jEgyptiaca, a tropical African species, also 
bears strongly-scented flowers. 



136 



LIST OF SWEET-SMELLING PLANTS 



Xylophylla elongata. — A tropical American shrub bearing minute 
pale green flowers which diffuse a smell like that of seed-cake, for 
some distance around. X. friitescms is a Brazilian species, with 
an aromatic fragi^ance. 

Yarrow. See Achillea. 

Zataria multiflora. — An Arabian herbaceous plant now grown in India. 
When dried it possesses an odour resembling Lemon Thyme. 

Zehneria sua vis. — A tropical herbaceous plant, bearing scented flowers 
in clusters, followed by a berry. 

Zephyranthes [Swamp Lilies).— A tribe of bulbous plants from Central 
America, belonging to the lovely Amaryllis family ; many varieties 
are daintily scented, notably Z. floribiinda, Z, atamasco, the per- 
fume being quite distinct from that of any other flower. 

Ziziphora tenuior. — A small herbaceous plant, native of Persia. It 
is now largely grow^i in India, and sold as a fragrant herb, being 
powerfully Mint -scented. 

WHITE BLOSSOMS. 

' Ye best of all blossoms, the scented and white, 

So gracious, angelical, tender, and light ; 
In excxnisite charm of simplicity dressed. 
Ye types of the lovely, the pure, and the blest, 

So fragile, so stately, so radiant, so fair 
As cast by the angels from heaven unaware ; 
Ye are charmingly calm, while breathing out balm 
Far and wide, far and wide. 
Like to charity's tide. 
Ye 're like to the soul of a joy-giving psalm, 
Of loftiness, gracefulness, rapture possessed, 
Ye types of the lovely, the pure, and the blest' 

— ]^rRS. Howard Watsox. 



THE END 



Printed by T. and A. Constable. Printers to Her Majesty 
at the Edinburgh University Press 



